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014
LAUNCH
Armin Harich pushes the envelope by
paragliding with his kite.
018
411
Alliance Productions preparing to
release epic wave film.
024
SHOPTALK
Hawaiian Ocean Sports: The first
kiteboarding shop in the USA.
030
COMING FULL CIRCLE
Kiteboarding pioneer Cory Roeseler
talks about the past and future of kiting.
European snowkite photographer Gus Hurst shot our amazing uphill kite cover
on assignment in Switzerland, while Frederick Pattou contributed to our
Exposed section with sessions like this of Matt Taggart and Rob Whitall.
044
THE KING CLOSES COURT
Maui delivers in final King of the Air.
048
MAUI: MY FIRST TRIP TO
THE MOTHERLAND
KBMAG’s Paul Lang hits Hawaii.
060
GLOBETROTTING
Photographer Gus Hurst travels the
globe on snowkite adventure.
068
ACADEMY
Back to Basics with Trip Forman of
Real Kiteboarding.
070
LEESHAI’S LAUNCH
One of the biggest jumps of the year
broke down step by step.
074
ANALYZE THIS
Six kite specific surfboard lines
reviewed.
9
PROJECT CORPUS
Have you ever had that picture in your mind of that dream place you wanted to live?
Five car garage, triple level, blinged out mansion with a Jacuzzi on each deck, smack
dab on a cliff overlooking a long white sand beach which just happens to be the favorite
sunbathing spot for all the local girls. Yes that sounds good, but my version of paradise
is a bit different.
Faced with the reality of living in a light wind spot, I was over chasing wind on
planes, long drives searching for it and spending hours of wasted time dreaming of
riding. I have traveled the US enough to know where the windy spots are. I woke up one
morning and decided I was moving to Texas—well not really moving but rather setting
up a satellite office in Corpus
Christi, Texas. As I started
doing the research, I quickly
realized I should have done this
a long time ago. Step up! Pull
the trigger dude! It’s only an
1800 mile move from Carlsbad,
California. No big deal.
As I sit here in my new
Corpus home office , which sits
two car lengths from the Gulf, I
watch the sun come up over
the glassy, smooth water. It is Photo: Ryan Riccitelli
moments like these that have
made me realize I made the right decision. My body feels like I played tackle football all
weekend from too much kiteboarding. I have found my nirvana. The people are nice, the
wind blows like snot, the rent is cheap and things move at a pace that would drive most
people crazy. As completely opposite of California that Texas is, I love it here. It feels
like home.
Bucky Ashcraft, Tony Brady, Mike Danish and the rest of the local crew have shown
me more spots to ride in the last week with more diversity than I ever thought possible.
Saturday I was riding waves at Packery Channel wound out of mind on a 10m taking
beatings. If that was not enough, we ended the day by hitting the infamous secret spot,
“Buckland,” a glassy slick that spans almost two football fields. It had gotten windier by
that point, so I switched to an 8m and was still totally lit. Bucky and I drag raced across
the slick clocking speeds I never thought possible. I will publicly say I kicked his ass on
my 8 when he was on his 10. That’s right Bucky—you want more of this!
So here I sit, sipping coffee, listening to the local band HerbnPipeline.com watching
the Gulf Coast get windy. It’s 8 a.m. and today is Groundhog Day. The sun is shining;
the wind is starting to pick up. I will do some work and then will call the local crew and
find out what new spot we are riding this afternoon.
So what is the moral to this story? It is very simple. I never would have thought my
paradise would be found in Texas. I had always had this image in my mind of what life
would be like if I could have my desk overlook the water and be able to go kiteboarding
everyday. Guess what? I am living it. I can honestly tell you it is better than I imagined.
So this goes out to all of you fence riders out there. No matter if it is only a week
vacation or a temporary move or that little afternoon session; do whatever it takes to
give you more water time. Kiteboarding is about sacrifice. I hope this might encourage
some of you to get off your asses and make your mental paradise into a reality. You will
be all the better for it.
Mi Casa es su Casa
Enjoy!
EDITOR
RYAN RICCITELLI
[email protected]
ASSISTANT EDITOR
PAUL LANG
ART DIRECTOR
JIM SEMLOR
SNOW/CREATIVE EDITOR
JAMES BROWN
SAFETY EDITOR
RICK IOSSI
TOWSURF EDITOR
ERIK AKISKALIAN TOWSURFER.COM
ILLUSTRATOR
CAR “LOS” PRESTON
EDITORS AT LARGE
ALEXiS ROVIRA
EDITORIAL INTERN
DEVIN CARROLL
SENIOR WRITERS
Marina Chang, James Brown, Emi Marino, Bucky Ashcroft, Gary Martin, Rick
Iossi, Sierra Lake, Jim Semlor
EDITORIAL CONSULTANTS
Neil Hutchinson, Damien Wright, Joe Bidawid, Lou Wainman, Matt Nuzzo, Trip
Forman, Paul Menta, Kevin “Top Hat” Senn, Gregg Gnecco, Jay Crawford,
Henry Dupont IV, Sean Driscol, Bill Lee, Jeff Skoll, Paul Lang, Jeff Howard, Cliff
Stone, Stefan Ruether, Jeff Burton, Corky Cullen, John Romais, Eric
Akiskalian, Ben Wilson, Ruca Chang
CONTRIBUTORS
Brendan Richards, Gus Hurst, Gregg Gnecco, Gary Martin, Carl Preston, Joe
Bidawid, Matt Nuzzo, Felx Pivec, Alexis Rovira, Sierra Lake, John Romais,
Greg Norman Jr., Aaron Sales, Jenny Dodge, Kyle Touhey, Jon Modica,
Davey Blair, Moe Goold, Bri Chmel, Trip Forman, Jason Slezak, Buster
Tronolone, Nate Farran, Emanuela ‘Emi’ Marino, Paul Landry, Eric
Marchand/aerosport.ca
SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHERS
Jim Semlor, Kim Kern, Sierra Lake, Matt Cotton, Paul Javier, Michelle Zuniga,
Gus Schmiege, Gregg “Tekko” Gnecco, James Brown, Morton Skoll, Charles
Oreve, Stefan Ruether, Josh Marinos, Matt Mink, BOK, Buster Tronolone
PHOTOGRAPHY
Stephen Whitesell, Tracy Kraft, Clark Merritt, Alexis Rovira, Lance Koudele,
Jimmy Lewis, Gary Martin, Bougakow, Victoria Tap, Bertrand Boone,
Frederick Pattou, Gust Hurst, realkiteboarding.com, Erik Aeder, Christian
Pondella
Thanks to all editorial and photography contributors for
supporting this magazine!
Get a year subscription (6 issues) and a 2006 calendar
featuring kiteboarding or big wave surf shots from around
the world. Choose between the Kiteboarder or the Liquid
Mountains Big Wave calendars (sub starts with Jan/Feb
06 or a back issue which will be mailed with your
calendar). Don’t miss an issue of The Kiteboarder, 100%
made in the USA by Kiteboarders.
Just 24.99$ for a year’s subscription!
12
SUBSCRIPTIONS [email protected]
PUBLISHER
MARINA CHANG
(805) 459-2373
[email protected]
ADMINISTRATIVE/ADVERTISING OFFICE
1356 16th Street Los Osos CA 93402
ADVERTISING SALES
Marina Chang
(National/International)
[email protected]
Kyle Touhey
[email protected]
CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS
300 Carlsbad Village Drive
Suite 108A #238 Carlsbad, CA 92008
Jenny Dodge
[email protected]
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INTERNET:
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MOUNTAIN STATES OFFICE
1360 S Ivy Way Denver CO 80224
Published by The Ring Media Inc.,
dba The Kiteboarder Magazine
All content copyrighted by The Ring Media, inc.
dba The Kiteboarder Magazine
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DEPARTMENT
HARICH
F
lysurfer’s Armin Harich has put a whole new meaning into the term
‘big air,’ at least where kiteboarding is concerned. On September 22,
2005, Armin made kiteboarding and paragliding history by
launching his 17m Speed off of a 328-foot hill. A 10-minute soaring
flight ensued, and ever since Armin’s phone has been ringing with
questions from professional paragliding stunt pilots intrigued by the
possibilities of his short lived flight.
By Marina Chang
Don’t think that you can grab any old kite and
take it for a paragliding test flight. Doing so could
kill you, or cause serious injury, like paralysis!
Armin was a professional paragliding pilot and
competed on the World Cup circuit for 10 years
before kiteboarding took over his life. His
company is also part of Skywalk, a paragliding
manufacturer. As a developer, Armin’s job is to
push the design envelope. Most designers have
crazy, wild ideas that sometimes lead to
development while others are better left under
lock and key.
Armin is not even allowing test stunt pilots,
whose jobs are to turn paragliding prototypes into
pretzels to see how or if they’ll recover, to test the
modified Speed until more R & D has been
internally completed. However, he does see
paragliding, kiting and possible cross sport
developments resulting from his testing. So how
did this crazy German come up with the idea to
take a kite to the sky in the first place?
THE BIRTH OF AN IDEA
Bored one day and wanting to try something new,
Armin first took the Flysurfer Titan to the air in 2003. He
launched it off a 6-foot hill. His flight lasted 5 seconds. At that
moment, he thought a hybrid was possible, but the ram air
technology was not quite there to make testing safe. He tabled his testing
but the idea remained.
Two years later, he was again inspired to try paragliding with a kiteboarding kite because of the developments in stability and
construction of the Flysurfer Speed. It took him about 15 minutes to make the kite paragliding friendly by modifying the bridle
system, shortening the line lengths, and adding handles/brakes, needed to steer, maneuver and control the speed and pitch of a
paraglider.
Don’t Try This At Home:
Armin Harich Paraglides
with his Kite
Armin takes the 17m Speed to test at
his local paragliding spot on the
Rhein. Location: The Rhine Lens: Flysurfer
Chillin in Bremen on Holiday
Lens: Andrea Simon
14
Armin made a test flight off a 98-foot hill. His concerns were if the kite would take the load of a pilot flying in the air, i.e. if the
connection points would hold him without dropping him like a sack of potatoes, and if the speed of the kite, which travels
approximately 5 to 15mph faster than a traditional paraglider, would need him to run like the $6 million dollar man to avoid breaking
something at landing. His short test gave him the confidence to try the Speed on a bigger hill.
GAME TIME
The next day, the wind was too strong for Armin to fly his regular paraglider, which is roughly twice the size of a 17m Speed. He
admits that he was scared, but curiosity got the best of him and he decided to go for it. He laid out his 17m Speed and did a preflight check. There was a buzz at launch. Armin is well known at this site and is a respected paragliding pilot but launching into high
winds on an untested wing made for kiteboarding? The locals waited with anticipation and concern to see if the test would be a
success or a disaster.
15
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Armin soared for roughly 10 minutes about 450 feet above ground level before heading out to a perfect landing. For a
kiteboarder, this is a very long time. For a paraglider pilot, it is a very short! However, he proved to himself that day that flying with
the Speed was indeed possible. His mind started racing about the possibilities.
THE FUTURE
Although paragliding has been around for over 20 years, the sport can benefit from the relatively new developments in ram air
design. Stability is still an issue with paragliders and the new generation of foil kites with their closed cell technology and extreme
collapse resistance could help them (paragliders) avoid deformation and loss of energy during some moves. Paragliding stunt or
“acro” pilots also see the potential for a new form of flying opening up, allowing them to do super fast tricks in high winds that
would normally ground them, with minimal risk of collapses. The stability of ram airs has additionally opened new doors for stunts,
like Swiss stunt pilot Stefan Tobler’s recent jump from a hot air balloon with a Flysurfer Speed (check out Flysurfer’s image gallery,
the photos are sick. Again, don’t try this at home!).
Flysurfer is at the very beginning of developing a hybrid kiteboarding/paragliding wing. The fact that kiteboarding and
paragliding development happens under one roof at Skywalk will definitely help the process. Tests are ongoing. The first step
toward a hybrid kite has already been accomplished with the Flysurfer Taco, due to release the first quarter of
2006. The patent pending Taco enables an instructor or user to transform a kite to a paragliding
ground trainer wing in just one minute. But, Armin and the team at Skywalk have some good
ideas for a new sport that will combine elements of paragliding with kiteboarding.
Armin says that only time will tell but hopes to pave the way to offering us some
great new toys in the near future.
The Kiteboarder Magazine does not recommend or condone
anyone trying these types of stunts or experiments with any
type of kiteboarding kite. It doesn’t take a lot of height to
break your back. Don’t be a jackass.
Water, land, air or snow, Armin does it all.
Location: Wasserkuppe Lens: Jens Baxmeier
16
I
DEPARTMENT
information
SMACK
SMACK
Sky loses on Rock,
Paper, Scissors - looks
like he is pumping
up the kites.
Location:Washington
Lens: Jim Semlor
Location:Mt. Hood, Oregon Lens: Aaron Sales
Beautiful Nina Johansson will be in the
next issue of Foam Magazine.
Alliance Productions formed by Martin Vari, Ben Wilson and Jeff Tobias will
soon release their new video “Spare Change,” showcasing the trio tearing up
the waves throughout Hawaii, Australia, Indo, Fiji, and beyond. Check
www.sskiteboarding.com for the release of some of the best kitesurfing footage
to date.
Kiteforum.tv delivers live kite multimedia
Brought to you by Toby of kiteforum.com
and kitebeaches.com, kiteforum.tv is a new
site dedicated to bringing you kiting videos,
podcasts and pictures for free. You can
download any file, share your files, and even
rate and comment any download. Check it
daily for the latest additions from around the
world, including asnews.net’s weekly podcast
posted every Friday.
KBmag.com and Real Kite Camp Promo Winner
Arnot gets ready for a session.
Lens: Photo courtesy of Arnot Heller.
18
Michigan kiter Arnot Heller III is
the lucky winner of The Kiteboarder
Magazine and Real Kiteboarding
Camp giveaway. Notified live on
asnews.net’s podcast by Real
partner Trip Forman and ASnews
host Ryan Riccitelli, Arnot was very
stoked as ‘he never wins anything.’
He is excited to participate in a Real
Camp to bring his riding to the next
level. Check out the live coverage on
ASnews.net.
US Snowkite pioneers and proriders
Alex Peterson and Aaron Sales have
completely revamped www.ussnowkite.com
with recent pics, killer videos and more. The
best part about the site is the new locations
page mapping out all the snowkiting spots
across North America.
Litewave and Globerider team
members Paul Menta, Sam Bell and Nina
Johansson will be hanging in Hawaii and the
Bahamas this winter for photo shoots and
demos. Check out the new Sonic kite or Stealth
boards if you see them! Litewave is also gearing
up for a US Demo Tour this spring so check out
the new stuff and schedule at
www.litewavedesigns.com. Also, don’t miss the
next issue of FOAM. Nina is featured in an
interview in the surf, fashion, music mag for
women. Way to go girl!
Now, you can ride or glide when visiting
Kitexcite in the Dominican Republic. The
school just relocated to Kite Beach Hotel and
has added paragliding lessons, tandem flights,
tours and gear rental to their program. The DR
paragliding scene is really blowing up and will
host the 2006 Ozone Caribbean XC Challenge
at the end of January. Become biwingual!
www.kitexcite.com
EH Kiteboarding based in Cabarete,
Dominican Republic, now
has distribution in North
America and is pleased to
announce the new line for
06 including the EH Ripper,
a new SLE/Bow kite
designed for the technical
skilled wave rider. EH is also
coming out with production
boards and has additionally
expanded their soft goods
line with a new waist harness. Check out the
new stuff at ehkites.com.
If your are considering going to Cabarete,
check out www.cabaretewinds.com. It’s a
new portal for all Cabarete businesses and gives
you the latest news on the events, special
promotions and kite/surf/wind happenings on the
North Coast.
Alex Peterson gets ready to conquer Mt.
Hood during the first powder of the year.
Sky Solbach, top, and Jaime Herraiz, bottom,
put on an unhooked clinic.
Location:Stevenson, Washington Lens: Jim Semlor
eXtreme Hotels in Cabarete is going
through an extreme makeover! The lobby is
being renovated into a surf and skate shop,
and the lounge will now be open all day
offering a place to chill out and relax, play
pool, ping pong or board games, and surf
the net. Rumor has it that a basketball court,
BMX track, and possible street skate course
are in the works. Do not forget eXtreme has
the sickest skate ramp in the Caribbean
(ask Tony Alva), kiteboarding just steps from
your door, a great surf break in front of the
hotel or 5 minutes away, and a full
restaurant and bar with happy hour from
4:20 pm until close. Check out
www.extremehotels.com for the latest
updates. Add yourself to their friends list at
www.lostcherry.com/extreme.
North’s R&D team of Jaime,
Sky and Ken will be hitting the
West Coast of Australia this winter
to take advantage of the country’s
consistent wind, warm water, and
variable riding conditions. Don’t
expect them to be hitting the
popular riding areas though. North
does a pretty good job of keeping
the lid on things until they’re ready
to release. Watch out for those
great whites boys!
eXtreme Hotels
gets a makeover
eXtreme Hotels is equipped with wireless internet
and webcams to check out all of the latest action.
Location:Dominican Republic Lens: Ryan Riccitelli
US and Canadian residents are now also
covered with IKO’s international liability
and accident insurance. Covering both
kiteboarding and snowkiting at your local spot
and when traveling, worldwide coverage is
only $89 a year and includes up to $48,000 in
accident coverage and $1 million in personal
liability. www.ikointl.com
Liquid Force welcomes Davey Blair and
Julie Simsar to their international team. Check
out the LF website, liquidforce.com, for the
latest edition of the LF “Proof” newsletter that
showcases LF team riders along with new
product releases and updates.
Got old kites ready to throw away? Kite
Fever – clothing and accessories for the kite
lifestyle, will take your old kite and transform it
into a “new” fun and functional messenger,
beach, or backpack style bag, so you can
keep your memories and treasure your own
personal kite history forever. Just box up your
old kite, include a note with your return
address and the style bag you prefer, and ship
to: Kite Fever, Attn: Carmen, 325 Pacific
Road. Key Biscayne, FL 33149.
www.kitefever.com.
Prokitesurf.com in Corpus Christi Texas,
has just been given the distribution rights to
the Crazy-fly Pro line of boards. Featuring full
carbon construction with a wood Tech Core
and PVC rails, boards come with contour
adjustable footstraps, a handle and G10 Fins.
For wholesale/retail info, contact
[email protected] Check www.crazyfly.com for more info.
letters
Send all of your rants, grumbles, propaganda and words of encouragement to [email protected]
John Romais launches an air assault
on Maui.
Location: Hawaii Lens: Stephen Whitesell
ASnews.net Love
Dear Editor:
I’m a kiteboarder here in McKinney, TX (north of
Dallas) and wanted to let you know I’ve really enjoyed
Ruben Checks In
(Unedited email to Ryan Riccitelli from Ruben
Lenten following up from ASnews.net show #13)
Dear Bro,
Watsup men, hahahah that was sick that
you called me and then put me directly live on
the radio....thanks. Liking that stuff a lot.
So what are you up to? My schedule is like,
from the 30 nov. till the 26th of dec. to South
Africa. And then I spend one week home and
then go to Vietnam from 3 jan. till the 7th of jan.
and the 8th of jan i’ll go to Australia, Perth. I’ll
stay there till the 20th of feb. and after that I
might go to Texas, for spring break:P
Ok dude we’ll keep in touch and i’ll email
all of your podcasts!
I’ve read articles and I’ve seen pictures (kite mags
and videos) of some of the guys and girls, but it is a lot
more fun to listen to your interviews and get their
insights on this sport.
Keep up the great work and keep the bombs
coming, I love all the sound effects!
Later,
Keith
Thanks for tuning into our madness. What started as
a daily phone conversation with my friends has now
turned into ASnews.net. The Kiteboarder Magazine staff
is also to blame for pushing my garble onto the world.
Our goal is to create a 3-dimensional media outlet with
print, radio and video. Please download our latest
magazine free at kbmag.com—Ed.
you some cool pictures as well during my trip to
australia. Sick! you’re the shit!
Greetz,
Ruben LEN10
www.rubenlenten.com
Thanks for the update. Everyone here at
The Kiteboarder Magazine voted to print your
email, because we appreciate all of your
support. Keep doing what you do and continue
to spread the kiteboarding message around the
world. We look forward to seeing you in Texas
soon—Ed.
20
Player Congratulator
Dear Riccasaurus:
I have just returned from an extended stay at
the Sweet. In my mail was a copy of your latest
mag. I must say that I was impressed with the
consistent quality improvements from issue to
issue. Having once been an ad agy production
manager, I have an inherent sensitivity to that.
But that’s only part of the story. I am a dyed in
the wool windsurfer/ surfer that also takes
photos. Although I don’t understand most of the
text content I do appreciate the overall look of
the mag. I was particularly impressed with your
editorial….NICE and much needed in the sport in
general. Although most of the kiters I’ve met
have been decent chaps, I have had the
unfortunate experience of having also met some
real knuckleheads at my beach. One actually
told me to get off the beach because windsurfing
was canceled; did not go over well as it has
been a windsurfing beach for over 15 years. I
applaud your steadfast mission from issue to
issue to apply more intellect to the public
interaction and less testosterone. I was also
impressed with the talents of your art director
with the Gorge photos. Now you may be thinking
“is this going somewhere with all this buttering
up.” NOWHERE, nothing up my sleeve, nunca,
nada, nine….Imagine that!...just thought you
should get a pat on the back for a good job!
Senor Taco
Southern, CA
I
DEPARTMENT
By James Brown
Real Kiteboarding: Zero 2 Hero
Real Kiteboarding has stepped up their
instructional program with an in-depth DVD
that covers all the basics of learning to
kiteboard. They take you step-by-step
through standard safety procedures and
fundamentals of kite flying to get you on
the water. It is an invaluable tool for
anyone who has taken a lesson and wants
to reinforce the skills that they learned.
Bonus sections include Life of a Kiter: tips
on tuning a bar and repairing a bladder,
canopy or board. The Shop Talk section
covers all the styles of boards, kites, bars
and harnesses available. Also, check out
the footage from the Liquid Force
Relentless. Sick! I wish I had this video
while learning to kiteboard. For copies visit
www.realkiteboarding.com. Also, check out
the footage taken from Liquid Force’s
Relentless dvd.
The Next Chapter
The wait is over. This is the first fulllength U.S. based snowkiting DVD. It
shows the contrast from the early days of
snowkiting to the maturing sport of
today…hence the appropriately named
22
title. There are a variety of styles including
freestyle flatland, rails, kickers, wakestyle
and big air. Featured riders include Mark
Doyle, James Brown, Paul “Motz” Macaj
and Guillaume “Chasta” Chastagnol. The
DVD was mainly filmed on location in
Colorado and Utah with appearances from
local riders around the country. Bonus
tracks include interviews and footage with
Chasta as well as a monster tow-up with
Alex Peterson behind a truck in the U.S.
For copies visit www.sideoff.com or
www.kitesnowboarder.com.
Arriba: A Carribean Kitesurfing Dream
This is the first film we have reviewed
by Dave Van Bakel and Backside
Productions. Get an eyeful of Cabarete,
Dominican Republic sickness with local
and visiting pros as well as some sweet
footy from a trip to Costa Rica. There’s
plenty of hucking going on, with a healthy
dose of board-offs, handlepasses and
kiteloops. Props to the amount of coverage
of women kiteboarders. It is nicely
packaged with an upbeat soundtrack and
some nice scenery at the beach that the
boys will appreciate. Special clips include
an introduction to what a “Buttnose” is.
Check it to find out for yourself. For copies
visit www.totalvid.com
Swing: New School Kiteboarding
Another release from Backside
Productions and an altogether different
feel. It is filmed entirely in Brazil and set to
an ambient groove soundtrack. Many top
pros from around the world are featured,
including interviews with up and comers
Clinton Bolton, Joe Ciastula and Kevin
Langeree. The Northeast corner of the
country appears to be getting a lot of
attention lately and it is well deserved,
from the consistent wind and many places
to ride. The flat-water lagoons look
especially tasty. Check it out if you have
been wondering what it is like to kiteboard
in this amazing place and want to see
some great action. Bonus: The Brazilian
bikini scene lives up to it’s legendary
status. For copies visit www.totalvid.com
Videos coming up soon:
Autofocus
Snowkite Addict
Fatsand- beginner instructional
Into the Air
I
DEPARTMENT
SMACK
Hawaiian Ocen Sports
was one of the very first
kiteboarding shops in the
USA.
Lens: Ryan Riccitelli
How did you get into the kiteboarding retail
business?
Started at a windsurfing shop that picked up
kiting. I started kiting and was instantly hooked.
What is the kiteboarding scene like in your
area?
We’ve got a huge kiteboarding community on a
small island so you get to know everyone very fast.
Most people are nice and mellow with the
occasional hothead. We have heavy winds through
the summer and ride 6-12m kites.
Any issues (access, usage rights, etc) or
everything all good?
Hazards: Gusty winds, sharks, over confidence,
shallow reefs. Kiters need to stay away from the
airport runway and a few designated windsurfing
spots.
What tips can you offer kiteboarders who want
to learn your area?
There are plenty of good instructors on the
island. Most of the quality shops and schools can
be found by web-searching “kiteboarding lessons
Maui”. Make sure they are PASA or IKO certified
and research the school or instructor’s reputation.
Where do you draw riders from? What tips can
My neighbor Mike Danish is an insane
kiteboarder and a pilot to boot. He showed me this
weather site the other day. It is definitely worth a
bookmark. Check out www.usairnet.com
We have been at it again raising the bar on
electronic marketing. ASnews.net has blown up to
be the world’s leading source for action sports
24
Name:
Age:
Location:
Kyle Flower
25
Maui (3-5
minutes from
kite beach)
Years Riding: 4-5 years
you offer experienced kiters who want to come
kite your area?
Riders come from all over the world and many
pros live and train here. You’ll want to pay close
attention to the weather or you’ll learn some hard
lessons.
Kitebeach is the safest area to kite on Maui.
Lanes (West of Ho’okipa) is reserved for expert
riders only. You may rip where you ride but don’t get
a big head about it. Ask locals to show you the
ropes. People will think you are cooler if you don’t
give them attitude.
What tips can you offer visiting kiteboarders
who want to hook up with local riders and kite
in your area?
Coming to Maui you will find it pretty easy to
approach anyone at the beach. Just be friendly. Your
attitude makes the biggest impression. You can visit
one of the many local shops or email them to find
people to ride with. Come see us and demo new
gear!
What is the best way for people to check the
forecast and current conditions in your area?
Call a local shop or check out Ikitesurf.com (wind
and webcam), noaa.gov,
www.hawaiiweathertoday.com
news. If you like surfing, skating, kiteboarding,
snowboarding, wakeboarding, BMX and MotoX,
check out the ASnewsWire at www.ASnews.net.
If you are stuck in an office somewhere and
can’t get out on the water, I wouldn’t say this is the
next best thing, but it is pretty cool. Check out
www.flysim.com/kitesim/kitesim_features.html.
Riders of all types can participate in this
year's expanded TeleFair Tour. Now in its third
year of offering snowkiting clinics, the nationwide
tour includes free clinics including use of
equipment to participants. First time snowkiters
can easily learn on the new generation of 2006
Ozone snow kites. Advanced snowkiters can
learn techniques on powder riding, airs, terrain
riding, and backcountry touring. Professional,
certified instruction is provided by some of the
best snowkiters in the country. All equipment
including: skis, boots, and kites is provided Free
for all TeleFair participants in the intro to
snowkite clinics. The 2005/06 TeleFair ends up
at Mt. St. Helens, Washington, on April 9. For
specific dates and locations, check out
www.telefair.com
Who better to teach you to pass the handle
than Slingshot pro
rider Mark Doyle?
Now you can improve
your bag of tricks with
Doyle’s full day
advanced riding clinics
in South Padre (TX),
The Bay Area (CA),
Brazil and Japan.
Mark Doyle does his
Contact Mark at
best James Dean.
[email protected] to Lens: Jim Semlor
schedule a day of progression. Space is
limited, so pick your spot and sign up early.
Boardoff.com’s mission is to help riders
get back their lost or stolen surf and kite gear. A
German website which is now available in
English, Boardoff works in every country as a
local service, so you can see and create entries
by area. Help spread the word.
www.boardoff.com
The LC is a MUST SEE! Meet and greet with
the world’s best kiteboarders at
www.LostCherry.com. Check out the new FREE
mobile phone photo uploads. Many of the top
kiteboarding and surfing brands have logged on.
The site is 100% FREE.
compiled by Ryan Riccitelli.
COMPETITIONS
2005 PKRA TOUR WRAP UP
Mother Nature dished out some
flukey weather for the stops on the
2005 PKRA World Tour this year, but
that didn’t stop the competitors from
turning it on to make the tour the
best yet in terms of innovative,
technical tricks, close competitions
and increased spectator turnout.
17-year-old Ruben Lenten
(Slingshot) was hot on the heels of
reigning champion Aaron Hadlow
(Flexifoil) all year, but in the end,
although Lenten won 1st place on
the final stop, Hadlow took home the
world title for the second year in a
row. Lenten moved up in the
rankings a notch to secure a 2nd
place standing and for sure is eying
the first place position for 2006! Hot
on Lenten’s heels was Frenchman
Etienne Lhote (F-One), who clinched
3rd in the world.
Kristin Boese (JN Kites) achieved
her goal of becoming ‘the best
female kiteboarder on the planet’
and earned the top ranking on the
women’s side. Winning five of the
seven tour stops, Boese’s
determination and arsenal of
technical and powered moves will
make her a hard one to beat. Her
final competition wasn’t easy though
with Brazilian Bruna Kaiya (Naish),
‘the comeback queen’, achieving an
incredible seven heat winning streak
before Boese turned it back on to
claim first place in Brazil and on the
World Tour. Poland’s Ania
Grzelinska (North) and Bruna Kajiya
(Naish) were on fire this year and
both gave Kristin a run for her title.
They each secured 2nd and 3rd
places in the tour rankings
&RPSHWLWLRQ
UHVXOWV
Aaron Hadlow held on
to first place again this
year in the PKRA tour.
Name:
Streetname:
Age:
Roots:
PKRA 2005 Final Standings
for 2005:
Lens: Christina Pondella
Men
1st: Aaron Hadlow
2nd: Ruben Lenten
3rd: Etienne Lhote
4th: Kevin Langeree
John Dodd
Silver Bullet
37
Tuberiding
Hood:
Wherever the waves and wind
Ride(s):
Cabrinha, RRD, JRAmundson
Claim:
I kite alone often. You can kite alone -
combine - Northeast Florida
just gets a little lonely sometimes. By yourself, there
can be no claim; who you gonna claim to?
Women
1st: Kristin Boese
2nd: Ania Grzelinska
3rd: Bruna Kajiya
respectively. With more women
learning and perfecting technical
and challenging moves such as the
handlepass and tricks to blind, along
with the heated close battles on the
men’s side pulling move after move,
the 2006 PKRA World Tour promises
to bring us another year of exciting
competitions as the riders push
each other to the next level.
GROMS DOMINATE KPWT
RANKINGS
After six stops all over the world
– Italy, Turkey, Brazil, Australia,
France and New Caledonia, the
2005 KPWT concluded and
confirmed the leadership of the
rising younger generation. 18-year
old Frenchman Thomas Cocquelet’s
(Cabrinha) performances all year –
particularly his victory in Perth,
Australia, during the Gravity Games
H20 – earned him the world title. But
the pioneer’s proved that they still
got their game. Charles Deleau quit
competition with a 2nd vice world
champion title, while Mickaël
Fernandez finished 3rd in the overall
world ranking. Fernandez took
victories at the first two KPWT
events but was stopped by an ankle
injury in Australia.
On the women’s side, 12-yearold Gisela Pulido (Airush) amazingly
won every single contest of the
Alcatel kitesurf Pro and four out of
six comps on the KPWT Tour. Gisela
retained her world title for a second
year, along with the 2005 Junior
Women World Champion title. She
also finished first in the 2005 Wave
Masters series, which makes her not
only the youngest but also most
titled female kiteboarder in the
history of our sport. Besides
freestyle, the 2005 KPWT also
featured other disciplines including
Speed Crossing and Wave Riding.
The new formats gave the riders the
opportunity to express their wide
range of talents on the water.
A helicopter was on hand in case of any safety issues.
Lens: Courtesy of xratedkiteboarding.com
that banned beachgoers from entering the water.
That didn’t stop the over 100 people comprised of
riders, boat support, logistical support, and media
from making history happen.
see that f*%@*ing off the lip? I am the man.” They
just cackle at me like I’m looney.
2005 Red Bull KOA Final
Standings:
Men
1st: Ruben Lenten (NED)
2nd: Robby Naish (Hawaii)
3rd: Clinton Bolton (S.A.)
Women
1st: Susi Mai (Dom. Rep.)
2nd: Kristin Boese (GER)
3rd: Julie Simsar (Dom. Rep.)
KPWT Current Standings:
Men
1st: Thomas Cocquelet
2nd: Charles Deleau
3rd: Mickael Hernandez
4th: Antoine Auriol
Women
1st: Gisela Pulido
2nd: Noelia Nunez Macias
3rd: Julie Simsar
4th: Dulcineia Alaminos
Bahamas Kite Race Makes History
Kent Marinkovic and Mike Gebhardt sponsored
by Cabrinha Kites, United Capitol Market
Holdings, and the crew of the REEL DOC are the
official winners of the 2005 Bahamas Kite Race,
beating 14 other two-man teams by three miles.
With winds averaging 22-23 knots, the duo made
it to Bimini on stock 16m Cabrinha Switchblade’s
in just 3 hours and 28 minutes. Next, relative
newbies Sean Stroud and Chad Anschuetz (Team
Klein Construction) who have been riding for just a
year, clocked in with a finishing time of 3 hours, 42
minutes. Alex Bloechinger and Demian Thomas
(Team ABX Kite Repair) rode hard coming in third
at 3 hours 59 minutes. Just 60 seconds later,
Fabrice Collard and Christophe Ribot (Team Miami
Kiteboarding) arrived at the beach to secure fourth
place. Stacey Fonas (Best Kiteboarding) was the
first women to finish in five hours, 35 minutes.
The race started on a blustery, 50 degree morning
under stealth conditions, due to a bacteria warning
Shout: shout to the seagulls all the time - “Did you
Fifteen teams from all over the world came
together be part of this first ever event .Riders
were challenged from the beginning with light, side
offshore wind, gusting to about 6 knots through tall
building clutter. Some managed to make it or drift
out to the wind line, while others struggled to
relaunch their kites or keep them in the air. The
last team came in at a bit over 7 hours after the
start, exhibiting incredible stamina and
determination.
Congratulations to all who participated in this
event and a big thank you to organizer Neil
Hutchinson for his hard work in pulling off a safe,
challenging and fun crossing. Thanks to the
support ground and boat crews for keeping all out
of harm’s way. Check www.bahamacrossing.com
for the incredible individual, team and spectator
stories and asnews.net for the podcast interview
on the event.
-2+1V7LSVRQULGLQJORQJHU
‘
1. Get a wife or partner who supports your kiting. If you ride and they’re mad,
4. Get a kite with full depower for smooth riding in gusty wind. Let those that
it’ll stay in your head and distract your session.
don’t want to get jerked around stay on the beach and suffer.
2. If there’s wind, GO! Never miss it. Make up and save lies for when the time is
5. Ride a surfboard/longboard in lighter winds. They work even when a skim
right to use them.
won’t go.
3. If you’re setup on the beach and debating to have another go, GO!
6. Force yourself to get into a stretching routine. Do it at home, not on the
Remember, that LE Bladder is going to leak or blow the next time you setup.
beach.
10 knot wind conditions. I’m not spending
every waking moment stressing about it, but
that’s the place where I’d like to put my
effort. So, now I probably tinker more when
I’m not being driven by a kite manufacturer.
The kite manufacturer requirements are so
conservative, you end up doing incremental
design changes, which get advertised as
revolutionary, “We added a line!!” When
you break away from that requirement for
incremental design changes, you get to do
some pretty cool stuff. That is what I’ve
been doing on my own. I’m not making any
promises. It took us 10 years to get Kiteski
launched when we knew the kites worked
,so we’ll see down the road.
By Jim Semlor
KB: What were some events or
pivotal moment that you feel shaped
the culture of kiteboarding today?
Leucate – 98. I want to say - in France.
The French were way ahead of us in
bringing the best kiteboarders in the world
together. The contest consisted of two of
the best Germans—a guy named Flieshaur,
and I can’t think of the other guy’s name.
Raphael Salles, Laurent Ness, myself,
Flash and Lou. The six of us all made this
final. It was incredible. We were all on
completely different gear and different kites
– except for Flash and Lou. Everyone had
their own style, and the level of enthusiasm
was amazing and incredible. People could
tell from that moment it was going to be a
global success. At this point, kiting could
have gone any direction. Flash was wellrounded; Lou was already doing 900degree spins; Raphael killed us in the light
wind slalom; while I did good in the 40 to 60
knot range…..(laughs). Everybody stood
out in their own way. Nobody knew who
won. Still at this point, the French were
bashing leading edge inflatables saying
they were sluggish. The next year, I think it
was 2000, was when the French shut up
and went with inflatable leading edge kites.
I shut up and went and bought Wipikas,
because the 11.8 and 8.4 Airblasts were
great kites. So, the 2000 product cycle is
what turned it. It was a clear advantage.
Some 20 years ago, the beginning of kiteboarding was taking shape in the
curious mind of young Cory Roeseler and his father, William Roeseler. There was
no way he knew then that his experiments with flying hobie cat contraptions, or
stacks of foils pulling him around on a water ski would lead to a kite company
and a place in history as one of the sport’s pioneering founders. With so many
developments changing the face of kiting,
caught up with
Roeseler to take a look back at what started the craze of kiting.
KB: Let’s actually start with the present
day, and move back in time. You
mentioned that in many ways you see
the sport of kiting sort of coming full
circle right now; what’s behind those
thoughts?
Well, it’s an interesting market. The
users are demanding better safety. It has
become the buzz word. Part of safety is the
ability to depower completely to luff out
your kite, which is what the supposed new
flat or ‘bow’ kites do best. What’s funny is
we looked at that years ago. What is
interesting is we thought that safetywas
going to be the bottleneck of the sport as
well. Part of safety is the ability to launch
and retrieve your kite from anywhere.
Ahh..Turbolauncher is the answer to that, or
today’s answer. The answer for Kiteski in
1992 was a simple two line kite that you
could relaunch like a windsurfer.
With many seemingly new designs
being pursued by companies, where
do you sit with Kiteboarding these
days?
I am having fun watching the sport grow.
I’m enjoying riding with many of my buddies
who have switched over from kayaking,
windsurfing, and mountain biking. So now,
I’ve got my buddies to ride with. You might
say “yeah, yeah, that’s great,” but I used to
have to go to these remote beaches
because there were swarms of windsurfers.
We weren’t very welcome. Kiting was the
odd elephant, and we were the freak show.
Some days that was fun, but some days
you just want to go with your buddies. Now,
I can do that. With Gaastra, I’m a team
rider. They’ve got other guys that help with
the design, which comes and goes over the
years. Some years I’m more involved than
others. I’ve got a few of my other projects,
which are long overdue that I finally got
around to working on. I have my own stuff
that I want to get out there.
Care to give us a hint as to what might
be coming?
Yeah, I don’t want to give away all the
secrets, but the gist of it – you know how
when you’re windsurfing you can go in a
pond in one to five knots of wind; and if the
wind drops to zero, you just stand on the
board until the the next puff? Kiteboarding
has no answer to that. Kiteboarding still has
a wind minimum, and it’s still really in the
10 to 15 knot range to really have fun.
Umm….so there is no answer for zero to
Kiteboarding Pioneer Cory Roeseler’s two decades of
kiting experience stands out in his powered sessions on the
Columbia River. Location:Hood River Lens: Jim Semlor
30
KB: So Leucate was definitely a turning
point, but what do you feel attracted
the attention that suddenly made the
sport grow?
People started hearing about the
dynamic in Maui; about guys riding waves—
when you ride waves on anything, you’re
Old School Freestyle, Cory hops the jetty
on his rigid-frame KiteSki kite, reel bar and
board. Location: Rufus, Oregon Lens: Jim Semlor
cool. People started saying “I gotta sell my
windsurfing gear and get a kite.” We’d been
riding waves in secret, but once it became a
cultural thing on Maui where there were five
or ten people riding waves on kites, people
really started saying “I gotta have a piece of
that.”
The Maui scene—that was an interesting
thing. Even the Maui guys were pretty
skeptical of kiting becoming an accepted
sport until they could figure out how to go
upwind. A dozen guys going on a
downwinder was still sort of a freak show on
Maui. We showed up in 1996 for the second
annual KiteSki World Championships. We
couldn’t get any of the Maui guys except
Flash to enter our competition. The other
guys were watching, and Rush Randle was
watching with a very keen eye to see how
we were getting upwind, and it wasn’t with a
bunch of kite movement - it was with a light
edge and gliding across. By the end of the
week, Rush Randle was the first guy - who
lived on Maui - to be going back and forth
and staying upwind. Flash and Rush will
argue whose board and fin had the right
combination, but I saw it, and to me, that
changed the outlook from the Don
Montague’s perspective, and the Robby
Naish perspective—that “oh, these Kiteski’s
can go upwind.” The whole crew was
seeing Rush going upwind, and thinking, I
have the same gear as Rush. So then,
Sierra Emery jumps in, and Elliot Leboe
2.
3.
4.
9.
7.
5.
6.
10.
8.
1.
2. Cory introduces Olympic Skier Picabo
Street to kiteboarding.
5. The reel bar - 56 inches in length - just
over 4 feet with a hydraulic disk brake.
8. A young Cory takes flight with two hobie
cats bolted together.
Location: Rufus, Oregon Lens: Jim Semlor
Location: Washington Lens: Courtesy of Cory Roeseler
3. Catching air after Leucate, Cory flys at
Rufus.
6. Cory was flawless on his kite, even when
the technology was so new.
9. A banking turn while being towed
behind a boat another experiment in flight.
4. The KiteSki kite, with a carbon fibre
leading edge and battens.
7. Cory puts the Kiteski kite together, with its 10. Cory, left, was testing wings while most
No Limitz Super Skinny leading edge
kids were learning to ride a bike.
batten. Location: Rufus, Oregon Lens: Jim Semlor
starts going upwind before too long, and
that’s about when it started to ‘catch.’
KB: With the final Red Bull King of the
Air being held, there has been a
recent scramble to start documenting
kiteboarding’s roots and invention.
Often the term inventor or co-inventor
of kiteboarding has been associated
with you. How do you see your role in
the history of kiting?
Legally, we invented Kiteski. We have a
patent on it. When you talk about the sport, I
would accept the label ‘Pioneer.’ It’s a
slippery one. Kitesailing has been around so
long, so many people tried it and dropped it.
I can name so many names: Dave Kulp,
Theo Schmidt, Troy Navarro—there’s
probably others that rode on skis with kites
in the 70s and 80s. Most gave it up thinking
you go downwind, the kites get wet and it’s
over. None of these guys really stuck with it
and developed equipment to make the sport
practical. We got hooked right away. We
wanted to go fast, learn how to go upwind
and how to jump big. Pretty soon the phone
started ringing with people wanting to do the
same thing. In 1995, you could buy your
kite, your board, your bar and for $100
bucks extra you got a sailing harness. We
commercialized it. I don’t know where that
puts me in terms of inventor or what – that’s
for the historians to decide.
DEPARTMENT
&/26( 83
C
Arguably the top US snowkiter, Alex Peterson sheds
light on the mentality behind the mayhem.
ALEX
Story by Ryan Riccitelli
PETERSON
Nick Name: AP
When and where did you start kiteboarding?
I started out snowkiting, first on hockey skates
then graduated to skis when the snow came to
Minnesota back in the winter of 1998.
How did you connect kiteboarding and skiing
of all things?
I have no idea. It’s better left to the scientists.
Why do you ride skis versus a snowboard?
Because I’m a skier.
Where is your favorite place to ride and why?
My favorite place to kite is anywhere that is
snowy and windy, because kite flying is way easier
with wind. Last year’s trip to New Zealand was
about as rad as they come.
What is something about you that you do
outside of kiteboarding that most people
wouldn’t know?
I get stoked on hiking in the rain.
If “Chasta” were to say that he could jump
bigger on a snowboard, what would you say
to that?
Let’s see it.
What is your best advice to any young grom
who wants to ride pro?
Go for it! Practice is the mother of skill.
34
What goes through your mind when you are
boosting 100 feet?
“Ahhhh, this is nice up here……wonder where
all the birds are?”
What is the single worst wipeout you have
experienced?
It was a typical day snowkiting and I was
boosting moderate jumps about 5 to 15 feet. I got
a puff up to around 30-40 feet and came down
moving horizontally around 35-45mph. I landed on
my skates, then slid on my butt into concrete
below a boat house, fence and railing. The kite
powered up, and lifted me over the fence and a
small tree. I crashed into the boat house about 8
feet up, then crumpled down to the concrete
pavers on my back. I pulled my shackle and let the
kite go. I was okay but the kite ended up in power
lines across the street. Luckily, nothing happened.
I learned that I don’t like to kite with boat houses
downwind of me, and that it is good to kite with
friends to look after one another.
What trips do you have planned for this
season?
After traveling the world in search of the best
snowkiting locations, I’ve found that the Northwest
has is all. There is so much unexplored Big
Mountain terrain out there. Aaron Sales and I have
plans to snowkite all the volcanoes From Mt Baker
in Washington to Mt Shasta in California. We might
even be able to reach the summits of a few of
those peaks. And who knows, I may even fly off
Alex Peterson rips fresh tracks in Tahoe.
Lens: Dan Gavere
one of them. I’ll make a few stops at competitions
like the Kite Cross at Montana Snowkite Rodeo
and the Olympics in Torino. A few of us plan on
renting an RV and parking it next to the NBC Wide
World of Sports headquarters, to show people how
sick and fun snowkiting really is.
AGE:21 9240 hours
HEIGHT: 70”
WEIGHT: 2320 ounces
STANCE: side-by-side
YEARS RIDING: 7
FAVORITE SPOTS: Tahoe,
Ca;
Wisdom, MT; Fox Glacier,
New Zealand
FAVORITE CONDITIONS: 10
knots, windward side of
1000’ deep snow pile
FAVORITE MOVES: Flying,
triple kiteloops, 400’ tow
ups
SKIS: Salomon Park 161
BINDINGS: S 904
KITE: 17 M Slingshot
Machine
BARS: 20”
LINES: Fatty 25’s
HARNESS: Dakine Tabu,
Petzl
PRO
TIPS
n Take an incremental
approach to snowkiting, especially in
the mountains
n Most dumb things
start out with the
phrase “Watch this!”
n
Take it easy.
Alex’s top tip:
A thorough pre-flight is probably
a good idea if you plan on going
higher than 200 feet.
C
DEPARTMENT
&/26( 83
BRUNA
Kajyia
Brazil’s young kiting beauty Bruna Kajyia
rising quickly through dedication and practice.
Bruna Kajyia takes a look at the
Gorge before getting unhooked
during a Naish team trip to
Hood River. Lens: Jim Semlor
By Marina Chang
Is it true that Calvin Klein wanted you to
model underwear?
Yes. But I make way more money kiting,
so it was not worth it.
with it because you need an extra pull in the
right time to be able to reach the bar and my
timing has not been right. Plus, the landing is
really hard!
How come the girls are so hot in Brazil?
Does your beauty ever distract other
kiters when they are riding by you?
Are they? . . .No, but my wipeouts do!
What is something about you that you
do outside of kiteboarding that most
people wouldn’t know?
I don’t really know anything I do that
would surprise people. I’m into knowing what
happens all around the world, like
international relations and politics — that’s
what I want to study in college.
What rider influences you most?
Andre “Dre” Phillip. When I started kiting, I
went to live in Maui; and when I got there, I
saw Dre and the boys doing all the new
tricks. That was pretty much when I defined
my style of riding.
Where is your favorite place to ride and
why?
I love the north of Brazil, like Cumbuco
and Paracuru. The wind there is constant
and steady. All along the coast you have
different conditions; some places are flat,
others have waves and kickers. Brazil is a
great place to train and practice!
What is you family like?
They are the best family ever and support
me in everything I do.
What is the hardest move you are trying
to learn?
The 313. I’ve been having a hard time
36
What is your best advice to any young
girl who wants to ride pro?
Go for it. It will be harder for girls to get
sponsored compared to the guys and that’s
because of the market. But if you are a good
rider, have a good attitude and you’re ready
to work with the companies, you’ll get there!
What has helped influence your riding
the most?
What helped me a lot was the opportunity
to watch the best riders and learn from them.
It’s really important to watch people doing
tricks, so your mind gets used to it. Being
surrounded by good riders on the water
helps your progression.
You basically came out of nowhere and
are now the #3 ranked women on the
PKRA in your first year of competition.
What do you owe your success to?
I had a lot of support from my family. They
were the biggest reason for what I achieved
this year. This was my first year competing
and I wasn’t expecting much. But everything
worked out good and I’m really happy and
surprised with my results. I learned a lot and
I’m more than ready for next year!
AGE:18
HEIGHT: 5’7”
WEIGHT: 115
STANCE: 38
YEARS RIDING: 2.5
FAVORITE SPOTS: Anywhere
in Brazil!
FAVORITE CONDITIONS: 20
knots with good kickers
coming in.
FAVORITE MOVES: Flat 360
BOARD: 2006 Sol 124
BINDINGS: Naish Straps
KITE: 06 Naish Torches
BARS: 18 inch bar
LINES: 24m
HARNESS: Naish
WETSUIT: Mormaii
SPONSORS: Naish, mormaii
Bruna’s top tip
PRO
TIPS
n Picturing yourself
doing a new trick
and landing it in
your head over
and over again will
prepare your body
to actually do it.
n If I’m trying to learn something and I
cannot get it right, i have to get out and
relax, otherwise I end up hurting myself
and not learning anything. The best thing
for moments like this is to watch other
people doing that trick, whether it’s on the
beach or in movies.
INSIDE
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send your digi stuff to editor @kbmag.com
1. Greg Norman tunes his ride
Photo: Ryan Riccitelli
2. Kent Marinkovic, Pete Cabrinha and the
Adventure Sports crew enjoy happy hour
in Miami Photo: Matt Cotton
3. Team Cabrinha prepares Kent’s Crossbow for
flight Photo: Matt Cotton
4. Santa Cruz local, Glen Dewit’s custom made
38
Dakine Harness Photo: Kim Kern
5. Leeshai Miller gaps the slider in Greece
Photo: Buster Tronolone
6. Waddell grom shows there is a future to strapless
riding Photo: Kim Kern
7. Bertrand Fleury checks out an issue of The
Kiteboader Magazine
8. Jalou Langeree is a name that will soon
dominate kiteboarding
9. The beaches are filling up with hot kiteboard girls
10. San Carlos, Baja California sunset session
Photo: Clark Merritt
11. Clinton Bolton getting all the ladies
12. Chris and Ashton Gilbert
13. Nadine Kaminer pumps up for a session
Photo: Brad Knoth
14. Ryan Riccitelli and Jesse Richman at the Maui
red Bull Party Photo: Paul Lang
15. Luciano Gonzalez wraps up after a session
Photo: Erik Aeder/Red Bull
16. Romaine Fabretti watches ‘Chasta’ hig the rail
Photo: Bertrand Boone
17. Evening Kite shoot at the spit in Hood River
Photo: Jim Semlor
18. Meet the world’s best female kiteboarders
Photo: KPWT
19. The Kiteboarder Art Director Jim Semlor and his
son Ethan get ready for a skate session
Photo: Jim Semlor
20. HerbnPipeline jam Photo: Ryan Riccitelli
21. Slightly Stoopid’s percussionist, O.G. hosted the
LostCherry.com Model Search
39
B
DEPARTMENT
%$&.<$5'
Canida
GETTING STARTED
The 2006 PKRA brought attention to
this idyllic island chain located in the
middle of the Gulf of St Lawrence in
Eastern Canada. The islands and the
dunes of Les Illes de la Madeleine
seem to blend, break apart, and
then stretch out again for as far as
the eye can see. Magnificent golden
beaches line the coastline, ideal for
exploration and downwind trips.
Other activities include museums,
parks, golf courses, horseback
riding, bird watching, hunting, fishing,
sea cruises, scuba diving, skiing and
whale watching. The marine culture
of the islands is definitely one of the
most special charms of this unique
North American destination.
Local Schools
Unknown kiter enjoys evening session
A summer kitesailing sesson
The island offers a diverse range of activities
Miles of open snowkite terrain awaits you.
Location: Canada Lens: Coutresy of www.aerosport.ca
Aerosport Carrefour d’Adventures is the
only school on the island and was the first
kiteboarding school in Canada. The school
services approximately 1000 clients each
summer for kiteboarding, land power kiting,
buggying and mountain boarding.
web: www.aerosport.ca
email: [email protected]
phone: 866-986-6677.
Local Shops
Aerosport
www.aerosport.ca
[email protected]
866-986-6677
Hikers take in the vast beauty of the Les Iles de la
Madeleine.
Local Association
ASAQ- Association des sports aerotractes du
Quebec. www.aerotractes.org.
Where should I stay?
The tourist association on the island offers a
reservation service with a variety of lodging
options from hostels, B&B’s, hotels, chalets,
cottages and camping. Reservations can
be made at (418) 986-225 or
www.tourismeilesdelamadeleine.com
What is the official site name?
Les Iles de la Madeleine
What is the best time of year to hit this
spot?
Kiteboarding —May through October
Snowkiting — January through March
What is the best internet site to check the
wind?
www.tourismeilesdelamadeleine.com or
www.windsurfing.qc.ca
How do I get there (closest city to fly into,
road directions)?
You can get to the island by air or ferry.
Several airlines offer daily flights to and from
Illes de la Madeleine with departures from
Montreal, Quebec, Mont-Joli and Gaspé.
Flying time varies from one to four hours
depending on the departure point and the
number of stops. The airport (YGR) is located
on the island of Havre-aux-Maisons, less than
10 miles from the central island, Cap-auxMeules. Flights are from $300 to $700+
If you are driving, you go first to Souris
(Prince Edward Island), where you can get a
ferry to the Islands. It is 880 miles from
Montreal to Souris. The ferry trip from Souris
to Cap-aux-Meules takes 5 hours.This ferry
service is operational from April 1st to January
31st. Adult $41.25, kids $20.60, cars $77.
There are several car rental agencies on the
island. Rates start at about $365 per week.
40
By Eric Marchand
What are the best conditions to get lucky?
Any of the local bars after 12pm! Cooler
September winds bring solid riding conditions
across the island for kiting.The Baie du Havreaux-Basques, with its warm shallow water,
offers excellent flatwater riding in all wind
directions.
Strong fall swells make downwind and
ocean riding a must to discover the islands
186 miles plus of ocean beaches.
Warm air and plenty of snow pack make
March the ideal snowkiting month.
What conditions should I avoid?
Avoid the strong November storm season of
60mph+ winds. Island weather can change
rapidly so attention should always be given to
thunderstorms.
What gear should I be sure to pack?
All kite sizes from 5m to 18m! The islands
offer opportunities for all styles of riding from
surfing to flat water...when in doubt bring it all.
What is the water temp like
(wetsuit/booties needed)?
The water surrounding the islands ranges at
the end of August and September from 64-70
degrees Fahrenheit in the lagoons. Constant
winds greatly influence the climate of the
islands. A shorty and full suit will cover most
conditions. Booties are always a good idea as
they protect your feet from shellfish in the
shallow lagoons.
What is the launch/landing?
Ocean launches are easy with the islands
numerous pure white sand beaches and
dunes. Lagoon access can range from sand
beaches to dune grasses, the latter of which
should be avoided as the sharp dry grass can
cause bladder punctures.
Where are some of the best places to eat
(best hangouts)?
The islands offer some of the world’s best
seafood — the lobster is a must! A wide
variety of dining can be found across the
island. Les Pas Perdu is a popular kiteboard
hangout offering good food, great beer and
internet services. Great eating can also be
found at Au Vieux Couvent, Café La Cote,
Café de la Grave and La Jetée. For fine dining
check La Table des Roy, Chez Patrick, and La
Marèe Haute.
What is nightlife like (active, mellow,
club/bar recommendations)?
The bar Le Central along with Chez
Gaspard are popular end of day destinations
amongst locals and kiters alike.The
microbrewery À l’abri de la Tempete offers
local beers and Les Pas Perdu hosts a variety
of bands throughout the summer.
What else is there to do if I get skunked?
There are several companies which offer
sea kayaking, diving, snorkeling, cycling, wild
life and island viewing, deep water fishing, as
well as land boarding and buggying.
Is there anything else I need to know
about riding this spot?
There are amazing land boarding and
buggying opportunities to be had on the north
dune.The wide open 14-mile dune, once an
airport in the 1950’s, is visually stunning in its
own right and has opportunities from all wind
directions. Pack a foil or stunt kite for a unique
experience in the sand!
Are there any safety issues or rules I need
to know about?
The ocean currents can be strong around
the island — check with locals for the best
places to ride. Winds can change from south
to north during the same day so be sure to
check the weather report! There is strong
environmental awareness on the island.
Respect fishing nets in the lagoons and stay
out of reserve areas. Several species of
endangered birds nest on the islands, so
respect the marked areas.
Are there any interesting bits of trivia
about this spot?
The archipelago of the islands is composed
of about a dozen islands, six of which are
connected by sand dunes offering an impact
unique to the island. Due to the circling water
masses surrounding the islands, the climate is
temperate offering cooler summers and
warmer winters than the mainland. French is
the primary language spoken, with each island
having its own unique accent. However, many
locals and most tourist organizations speak
English and offer bilingual services.
39
B
DEPARTMENT
%$&.<$5'
Waddell Creek is a world class wave riding
destination located in the beautiful Big
Basin Redwoods State Park, north of Santa
Cruz. Waddell Beach is wide open and
frequently
windy,
providing
many
opportunities for prime wave kiting. The
Santa Cruz kitesurfing community is self
policed with little regulation or posted rules,
and tries hard to keep it that way. New faces
that are ignorant of wave etiquette or just
straight out of line will get no respect. Santa
Cruz has a healthy kitesurfing population.
When the conditions are good all the locals
are on it, and there is little patience for
learning in the middle of the line-up. When
in Santa Cruz, keep in mind that the Santa
Cruz kitesurfing community is at the beach
and not on the internet. Most of what you
read on the internet forums is produced by
non-locals, and if you have a problem you
should bring it or keep it on the beach.
California
Brendan Richards ollies over
“Whitey”, the local shark.
Location: Waddell Lens: Kim Kern
Peter Schiebel throws some Waddell
Chunks.
What is the official site name?
Waddell Creek, California, USA
Peter Schiebel sets up to smash the lip.
What is the spot’s nickname?
We only have nicknames for flat water bay
spots.
Jonah Lepak blasts off the section
What is the best time of year to hit this spot?
Spring through Fall, but each season has its
downsides: Spring is gusty. Summer is foggy.
Fall is unpredictable.
By Brendan Richards
What is the best internet site to check the
wind?
Most locals don’t use the internet. Generally
you look out the window at work and make the
call, keeping in mind that if you are a true local,
the odds are stacked in favor of ditching, even
when the signs are marginal.
How do I get there?
HWY 1: North from Santa Cruz, South from
Half Moon Bay, and if you can’t find it . . .
you’ll never understand the concept of wave
etiquette, so you might as well go home.
What is the usual wind direction?
West to northwest.
What are the best conditions to get lucky?
The subtle dance between the North Pacific
High off the coast of Oregon, and a thermal
low over southern Nevada seems to put out.
Everyone has their own theory; from where the
fog layer sits, to the temperature of the gravel
in the parking lot. It’s all voodoo bullshit, but
when you’re ditching this much work/school,
you got to come up with some rhyme or
42
reason to the madness.
What conditions should I avoid?
The first day of wind after a long period of
no wind: specifically, be weary of ravenous
locals compensating for lost hours. Other
things that might negatively affect the quality of
your session are giant northwest swell,
persistent fog, northerly wind and winter
storms.
What gear should I be sure to pack?
The coast is a very rugged and intense
place to kite, the conditions are very
challenging, and should you need assistance
rigging, launching, or god forbid your kite
breaks down, you might find yourself in better
company if your kites has flames on them.
Kites without flames tend to get rescued last.
What is the water temp like?
Our cold water requires a dress code of a
full 4/3 suit year round.
What is the Launch?
Side-on and sandy with the occasional half
eaten seal carcass.
Who are the local shops?
CAUTION KITES
831 – 427 - 3269
Davenport SurfSails 831 – 429 - 6051
What is the name of the local association?
Santa Cruz has no local association, no
internet site, and no welcoming committee.
Surfing is a sport for individuals and this is
reflected in the absence of a formal
association. Santa Cruz is a tight community,
but you won’t find it on the internet because it
only exists on the water and in the parking lot.
breakfast. La Cabana Mexican food in
Davenport. We are still waiting for someone to
show up in a lunch wagon at Waddell.
What else is there to do if I get skunked!
Surf, mountain bike, visit the Mystery Spot
or drive to Rio Vista.
Where should I stay?
Away — just kidding. There’s Costanoa
camping to the north and motels to the south
in Santa Cruz.
Is there anything else I need to know
about riding this spot?
Basic wave etiquette, and don’t be shy of
going upwind or downwind of the crowd. If you
see a group of locals on one peak, it is
probably because it is good.
A good rule of thumb is unless you are on
call back status with Peter Schiebel, (that
means pretty much nobody) you need to go
100 yards north or south.
Where are some of the best places to
eat?
Planet Fresh Burrito in downtown Santa
Cruz.
Whale City Bakery in Davenport for
Are there any safety issues or rules?
If you are riding out and someone is setting up
a wave upwind of you, under no
circumstances send your kite for a lame jump
if it ruins the wave for your buddy (Andy Gib
says don’t do it). Keeping your kite low, and
making it out unobtrusively earns far more
respect than any lame dangled out jump could
get you. On the coast it’s all about
demonstrating etiquette for the guy setting up
a wave.
Are there any interesting bits of trivia
about this spot?
Robby Naish is scared to kite here (that’s
just what I heard).
...KOA HISTORY
Robby Naish showed why he is still a
ruler in the waves in this year’s epic
conditions.
Location: Maui Lens: Erik Aeder
Queen Susi Mai, above, shows no
fear in boosting a huge indy grab to
help secure her third straight Queen
of the Air title.
2000 – Competitors came from
almost a dozen countries to compete
in the second King of the Air, with
Marcus “Flash” Austin and Julie
Prochaska taking home the crowns.
Not to be outdown, Ruben Len10
sent it huge in the fnals, left, taking
the final crown in Maui.
2001 – Due to the tragedy of
September 11, the contest was
cancelled.
F
First held at Ho’okipa in 1999, the annual Red Bull
King of the Air has been the premier kiteboarding
contest in the United States. The King of the Air has
played host to a number of amazing stories and has
helped the sport to mature over the last seven years.
From the unique event site, to the amazing media
coverage, to the Cinderella stories, this event has
truly been special. However, all good things must
end: Red Bull announced that the 2005 King of the
Air would be the last. An event as big as this
deserves to end on a high note, and Mother Nature
delivered the ultimate conditions for a kiteboarding
contest.
As if it were arriving on cue, the first sizable swell
of the season hit the North Shore of Maui on the first
day of the main event. For two days, double
overhead waves were the norm. Riders took full
advantage of these conditions, turning the monster
waves into humongous kickers. As this contest has a
preference for big air, both men and women were
hurling themselves as far into the sky as possible.
Leeshai Miller charged full speed at a growing
haystack, and threw what had to be the biggest jump
of the contest, launching himself over 50 feet into the
air and floating downwind half the length of the
course. Wave riding was not given as many points as
the big jumps, but that didn’t stop the likes of Adam
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1999 – The competitors in the first
King of the Air were mostly Maui locals,
but the contest helped to bring a lot of
attention to a sport that was still in its
infancy. Windsurfing legends turned
kiteboarders Robby Naish and Pete
Cabrinha battled it out, with Naish
coming out on top. Anne Laure Pegon
of France took home the crown in the
women’s division.
Ruben gives a toast to the final Red
Bull King of the Air with former ruler
Robbie Naish, left, and rising star
Clinton Bolton. Location: Maui Lens: Erik Aeder
2002 – Because of the cancelled
event a year earlier, everybody was
especially excited during the 2002
contest. The Men’s Freestyle event
ended in a dramatic final between
2000 winner Flash Austin and Mark
Shinn, with Shinn coming out on top.
Sheldon Plentovich walked away with
the title of Queen of the Air, only weeks
before she would be diagnosed with
leukemia.
2003 – Without losing a single heat,
Frenchman Charles Deleau took home
the crown in 2003, which will always be
remembered for the treacherously
blown out conditions. Newcomer Susi
Mai edged out 2002 winner Sheldon
Plentovich, who had made it to the final
after her battle with leukemia.
2004 – In true Cinderella story
fashion, 17-year-old Tuterai Montaron,
an unknown rider from Bora Bora, took
home the title after an amazing final
against France’s Antoine Jaubert. Susi
Mai again found herself on the
podium, becoming the first person ever
to win two titles.
2005 – The last King of the Air came
to a dramatic close, with 18-year-old
Ruben Lenten edging out Robby Naish,
for the title of King of the Air. Epic
conditions made this event extra
special, with Ho’okipa delivering
double to triple overhead waves. Susi
Mai was able to hold on to her title
once again, winning for an
unprecedented third time.
1
2
7
8
3
4
5
6
9
10
1. Maui young gun, Jesse Richman,
advances to the main event.
Location: Maui Lens: Christian Pondella
2. Second place Kristin Boese, first
place Susi Mai and third place Julie
Simsar on the Podium.
Location: Maui Lens: Christina Pandella
3. Ruben Lenten shows the world he is
number one.
Location: Maui Lens: Ryan Rccitelli
4. Susi Mai stayed focused through
the final.
Location: Maui Lens:Christian Pondella
5. Aaron Hadlow throws a handlepass
between the Ho’okipa sets.
Koch, Ben Meyer, and Robby Naish from
destroying every wave they could.
Naish, winner of the first event in 1999,
found himself at home in the challenging
conditions. He proved that he could still
hold his own against the younger
generation of riders, advancing all the way
to the final where he faced 17-year-old
Ruben Lenten. Lenten is known for his
smooth style and incredibly technical
tricks, so the final was a battle of young
vs. experienced, new school vs. old
school.
Before the final heat even started,
Lenten got a little anxious and fully yardsaled himself, leading to a slight delay
46
while the water safety crew gathered up
him and his gear for a restart. For the
second start, both riders restrained
themselves until the horn announced the
start of the heat, and then the action was
nonstop. For the entire heat, it was
Lenten’s mix of big air and technical tricks
against Naish’s down-the-line waveriding,
smooth style, and big, classic tabletop
jumps. In the end of the heat, the crowd all
mumbled to themselves about who should
win. The judges chose Lenten as the
overall winner, but the heat could have
easily gone either way.
On the women’s side, Susi Mai again
dominated the event with her huge jumps,
winning the women’s title for an incredible
third year in a row. The women truly
stepped it up this year, with many
competitors throwing progressive tricks
like handlepasses and kite loops.
Everyone was a little sad at the end of
the contest, knowing that the King of the
Air was done for good. Over the years, the
contest has brought much needed
attention to our sport, and has been the
starting point of many kiteboarding
careers.
The extreme conditions made this last
contest especially special, and put a very
appropriate exclamation point on the end
of seven years of great events.
6. Luciano Gonzales traveled all the
way from the Dominican Republic to
compete in the KOA
Marc “Marley” Ramseier ollies
backside off the Ho’okipa section.
7. Moe Gould and Andre Phillip check
out the action from the parking lot.
Location: Maui Lens: Ryan Riccitelli
8. Dre’s souls session.
9. Adam Koch banks off the top on
one of the smaller days of the
contest. Location: Maui Lens: Erik Aeder
10. Kites as far as the eye coud see.
47
Robbie Naish hits the lip backside as
only he can.
Jill Cervi enjoying
the circus at the
King of the Air.
Queen of the Air Susi Mai struts her
stuff in the challenge.
Location: Maui
Lens: Ryan Riccitelli
D
Paul Lang enjoys a cup of Kona
coffee with one of his heroes, Lou
Wainman.
“Dude! You have to see this
place. Get a plane ticket and
get out here.” My good friend
Riccitelli is on the phone,
trying to convince me to blow
everything off for the next
week and fly to Maui. “There’s
a spare room for you. I’m
sitting on the porch right now
staring at the ocean,
watching people surf,
windsurf, and kite. The water is
warm, it’s windy as hell, just
get out here.”
“I can’t.” I have a ton of
excuses. “I have to work. I
have a lesson to teach this
weekend. I don’t have
enough money.”
Ruben Len10 drops into a bomb
unhooked.
Chris Gilbert contemplates the
events of the final King of the Air
Competition.
“Look man, just look at tickets. See if it is possible.” Reluctantly, I start to search around the internet,
just to see how outrageously expensive a last minute ticket to Maui must cost. I look around, not
expecting to find anything. The search results pop up; $365 round trip, leaves Friday. Today is
Wednesday. The wheels in my head start spinning. Well, I guess $365 is doable. I send an e-mail to my
student, asking if he would like to reschedule. No problem. I buy the ticket.
“Pick me up from the airport at 11:30 on Friday.” I’m going to Maui for the first time.
Pineapples, Wind & Waves
I get my first impression of Maui as the plane approaches the island. Looking out of the little window
from 20,000 feet, I can see whitecaps — big, foamy ones! We land, and I jump into the seafoam green
rental car, which would do double duty as the recording studio for our ASNews.net podcasts. Riccitelli
drives us straight to Ho’okipa, where the Red Bull King of the Air is going off. Walking around, I see
almost every kiteboarder I have ever seen in magazines or videos. I pick out a place on the cliff, and
watch the contest with my mouth open. I’ve been kiting for five years now, but these guys are doing stuff
48
49
I didn’t even imagine was possible.
Some moves are so technical that I can’t
even figure out what to call the trick; all I
know is that it looks really frickin cool.
The conditions are the most extreme
I’ve ever seen kited, double to triple
overhead waves and a lot of wind. After
all the heats are completed, I meet
almost every kiteboarding star you can
think of.
I’m blown away by how genuinely
stoked everybody is, especially the
younger guys. They all just love to ride,
and come in off the water with smiles,
whether they won or lost.
Long Lost Lou
We leave Ho’okipa and head back to
Paia, to the Livewire Coffee Shop. I’m
ready for a nap after the long flight, but
Ryan insists that there is someone I
need to meet. We walk up, sit down, and
have a cup of coffee with someone who I
have looked up to for the last five years,
Lou Wainman.
I’m blown away by how amazingly
nice and mellow the guy is. Lou is
definitely the ultimate kiteboarding soul
rider.
He loves to ride simply for the fun of
it, and is still pushing the boundaries of
what is possible on a kite. The guy who
helped start the sport now buys his own
gear and works construction during the
week to pay the bills.
Before the end of the trip, I would get
the chance to hang out with Lou a
number of times, and I also had the
chance to see him kite at Lanes. He is
definitely easy to spot: 9-meter lines, a
surfboard, and an all white kite. He is
able to use his kite while surfing a wave
in a way that I have never seen.
I’m convinced now that extremely
short lines are the future for kiting in the
surf. It’s going to take the rest of us a
few years to understand how to do it.
Podcasts and Parties
The rest of the weekend flies by in a
blur; watching the contest, meeting
people, shooting photos, and recording
segments for the podcasts takes up all
our time (the podcasts are available
FREE at ASnews.net).
The event ends with a huge dinner
and party in Kahalui, and suddenly the
last Red Bull King of the Air is done.
With the event over, I don’t have any
more work to do, so now I can finally go
kite.
Discovering Kitebeach
Going to Maui is the closest thing we
kiteboarders have to a pilgrimage. My
first thought of Kitebeach is that it is way
smaller than I imagined. It’s just a small
beach, a bunch of trees, and a big pile of
rocks.
The wind is blowing, so I borrow some
gear (thanks John!) and go out. I
proceed to get totally worked, and I’m
loving every minute of it. I usually fly a
20 meter at my local spot, and I’m on a 7
meter here.
I forgot just how fast a 7-meter kite is.
After a few minutes, Ruben Lenten and
Aaron Hadlow charge out, and I find
myself on the water with two of the best
riders in the world. My riding is pathetic,
but it’s still the most fun I’ve had on the
water in a long time.
Reflection
When it comes time to go back home
to San Diego, I don’t feel ready to, but
it’s time to get back to the real world and
go back to work. Riccitelli almost missed
his flight out because he looked at the
dates wrong so I have one last night to
myself, inspired to write a story about my
trip. Maui is an amazing place, and every
kiteboarder should visit it if possible. Not
only is it a great place to ride, but it is
also the birthplace of our sport. A few
days later, I find myself back at my local
beach, when a few people ask me where
I’ve been lately. I smile to myself, and
say, very nonchalantly, “Oh, I just went to
Maui for a few days.”
Paul Lang is owner of West Coast Kiteboarding in San
Diego. He is also the sound engineer for ASNEWS.net which
hosts a one-hour free podcast featuring live interviews with
the who’s who of the action sports industry and the latest
breaking news from kite, surf, tow, snow, skate and more.
Released every Friday, you can download the podcast at
www.ASNEWS.net. Check out all the new features and the
RSS Feed for ASNEWS.net – it’s the best way to get your
news from the action sports world!
Top Row
Where to look? Paul has trouble deciding whether to
watch the competition to the right, or the freeridng
at Lanes to the left. Location: Mauji Lens: Ryan Riccitelli
The Valley of the Kings: Maui’s lao Valley.
Low-pro Lou Wainman spotted at the back of the
spectator crowd during the contest talking to Kristin
Boese. Location: Maui Lens: Ryan Riccitelli
Bottom Row
Ryan Riccitelli interviews Robby Naish in the back of
the Seafoam green Mobile Metro.
Location: Maui Lens: Paul Lang
Meet the Godfather of Kiteboarding on Maui, Joe
Cool. Location: Maui Lens: Ryan Riccitelli
Under (above, actually) the watchful eyes of the
safety crew, Leeshai Miller boosts a huge 3.
Gail Zaccai, Jill Cervi and Ben Meyer in front of
their jungle paradise in the upcountry.
Andre Phillip catches a soul session at Lanes.
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Damien Pattou
Location: France Lens: Frederick Pattou
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Keegan Mayo
Sky Solbach
Rider Unknown
Jaime Herraiz
Location: CaliforniarLens: Kim Kern
Location: Washington Lens: Jim Semlor
Location: France Lens: Boulgakow
Location: Oregon Lens: Jim Semlor
Keegan Mayo
Location:California Lens: Kim Kern
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Unknown Rider
Krisin Boese
Location: Dominican Republic Lens: Ugo Richard
Moe Gould
Location: Hawaii Lens: Stephen Whitesell
Bill Kraft
Location: Brazil Lens: Gavin Butler
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Mauricio Abreu
Guillaume “Chasta” Chastagnol
Location: Norway Lens: Boulgakow
Lou Wainman
Laura Maher
Location: Hood River Lens: Jim Semlor
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FACT FILE:
Rider: Matt Taggert
Location: St. Moritz
Country: Switzerland
Riding Spot: Bivio
Local Kiting Resources:
www.kitesailing.ch
www.julierpalace.com
www.silvaplana.ch
Official Name – Swiss Confederation
Form of Government – Federal Republic with two legislative bodies
Capital – Bern
Area – 41,290 sq km (15,942 sq miles)
Time Zone – GMT + 1 hour
Population – 7,275,467
Projected Population 2005 – 7,351, 686
Population Density – 176.2 per sq km (456.4 per sq mile)
Life Expectancy – 79
Official Languages – German, French, Italian
Other Languages – Spanish, Romansch
Literacy Rate – 99%
Religions – Roman Catholic 48%, Protestant 44%, Other 8%
Ethnic Groups – German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch
1%, Other 6%
Currency – Swiss Franc
Economy – Services 64%, Industry 30%, Agriculture 6%
GNP per Capita – US$40,630
Climate – Temperate, varying with altitude; generally cold winters and
warm, wet summers
Highest Point – Dufourspitze at 4,634m (15, 203ft)
Photographs by Gus Hurst . Words by Ryan Riccitelli
“This was a mission of discovery near a tiny ski area called
Bivio. The endless terrain, and mountains for all wind directions
make this area a snowkiter’s touring paradise. Welcome to the
three dimensional world of snowkiting! Fly up and ride down;
ride up and fly down. Experience a 1,968-foot vertical ascent
in just over 10 minutes.”
Gus Hurst
60
61
FACTS FILE
Rider: Matt Taggart
Location: Haugestol
Riding Spot:
Hardavangger Plateau
Local Kiting Resources:
www.rallervegen.com
www.halnefjellstova.no
www.extremeair.no
www.kiteskole.no
“A fusion of perfect
light, exquisite
timing as well as
undeniable vision,
teamwork and skill
from photographer
and rider, engineer
this heavenly shot.
Matt Taggart
squeezes the last
breath of wind from
the day, focusing all
his energy into one
last leap. Get it
wrong and eat
wood. Get it right
and we are both in
heaven.”
Gus Hurst
Official Name – Kingdom of Norway
Form of Government – Constitutional monarchy with single legislative body
Capital – Oslo
Projected Population 2005 – 4,523,798
Life Expectancy – 78.4
Official Language – Norwegian
Other Languages – Lapp, Finnish
Religions – Evangelical Lutheran 94%, others including
Baptist, Pentecostalist, Methodist and Roman Catholic 6%
Ethnic Groups – Germanic (Nordic, Alpine, Baltic) 97%,
others including Lapp minority 3%
Currency – Norwegian krone
Economy – Services 61%, industry 36%,
agriculture 3%
GNP per capita – US$31,250
Climate – Cold in north and inland,
temperate and wet on coast
Highest Point – Glittertind 2,472m
(8,110 ft)
Official Name – French Republic
Form of Government – Republic with two legislative
bodies
Capital – Paris
Official Language – French
Other Languages – Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican,
Catalan, Basque, Flemish, German, Arabic
Religions – Roman Catholic 90%, Protestant 2%, Jewish
1%, Muslim 1%, Unaffiliated 6%
Ethnic Groups – French 95%; Others including Algerian,
Portuguese, Moroccan, Italian, Spanish 5%
Currency – Euro
Climate – Temperate, with cool winters and mild
summers; warmer on the Mediterranean coast
Highest Point – Mont Blanc 4,807 m (15,771 ft)
FACT FILE:
Rider Name: Guillaume Chastagnol
Location: French Alps
Riding Spot: Col du Lautaret
Local Resources:
www.glisse-kite.com
[email protected]
[email protected]
“Perfect powder,
the creamy fresh
virgin fluffy stuff
we all love to
ride. Boosting
high, Chasta
shows why he is
the Masta of the
skies, holding
one foot out
before a blissfully
soft reception.”
Gus Hurst
Official Name – Republic of Iceland
Form of Government – Republic with single legislative body
Capital – Reykjavik
Time Zone – GMT
Population – 272,512
Projected Population 2005 – 281, 653
Life Expectancy – 79
Official Language – Icelandic
Religions – Evangelical Lutheran 96%, other Protestant and
Roman Catholic 3%; none 1%
Ethnic Groups – Icelandic 97%, others including Danish,
American, British, Norwegian, German 3%
Currency – Krona
Climate – Cool temperate, with cool, windy winters and mild,
wet summers
Highest Point – Hvannadalshnukur 2,119m (6,952 ft)
“Basaltic rock and
lava flows covered in soft
fluorescing algae rolling
gently down to emerald seas
beneath us was the backdrop as we
pioneered this wide open space. Salty
winds whispered to high peaks and the blinding
whiteness was a solitude barely disturbed by the
whistling of lines and the rattle of hard snow on our
boards. We steal moments of joy, harnessing light puffs
of air whilst the sun pretends to set!”
Gus Hurst
FACT FILE:
FACT FILE:
Rider Names: Ben Hanbury
Rider Name: Sigve Botnen
and Matt Taggart
Location: Himalayas
Location: Snaefellsjokull
Riding Spot: Deosai Plateau
Riding Spot: Snaefellsjokull
Local Resources:
Local Resources:
[email protected]
www.icelandtouristboard.com
www.icetourist.is
www.flyozone.com
www.vindsport.is
www.icelandexpress.com
Official Name – Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Form of Government – Republic with two legislative bodies
Capital – Islamabad
Area – 803,940 sq km (310, 401 sq miles)
Time Zone – GMT + 5 hours
Population Density – 171.8 per sq km (445 per sq mile)
Official Languages – Urdu, English
Other Languages – Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Baluchi, Brahvi
Literacy Rate – 37.1%
Religions – Muslim 97%, (Sunni 77%, Shi’a 20%), Other (Christian,
Hindu) 3%
Ethnic Groups – Punjabi 60%, Sindhi 14%, Pashtun (Pathan) 9%,
Other (Baloch and Mohajir) 17%
Currency – Pakistani rupee
Economy – Agriculture 50%, Services 38%, Industry 12%
GNP per capita – US$460
Climate – Mainly arid, temperate in northwest, cold and snowy in
mountains
Highest Point – K2 8,611m (28,251 ft)
“If ever your spirits are
down or whenever you
crave excitement or
adventure, just break
free from the invisible
bonds of social
expectations and listen
to your soul. Be close to
nature, surround
yourself in the
magnificence of
solitude, be humbled
by the majesty of
mountains, and
harness yourself to the
wind. This shot captures
Sigve Botnen kiting in
record breaking
altitudes of around
15,750 feet.”
Gus Hurst
THE TIPS, TRICKS AND TECH OF KITING
Kite Specific
Surfboards
The Kiteboarder staff looks at six different
lines shaped for kiting in the waves.
74 Analyze This
72 Product Watch
Oh Geez! Kites,
bindings, gloves
78 Backcountry Kiting
70 Leeshai’s Launch
“Ground control seeking clearance.”
How to boost air like Leeshai.
Hit the snow with pro James
Brown.
68 Back to Basics
Trip Forman goes ‘back to the
basics’ in Academy.
A
$&$'(0<
DEPARTMENT
SCHOOL
positioning your back straight into the wind,
then putting your arms straight out to each
side and then moving them in front of you.
To the side is where you launch and land, in
front of you is where the max power is. I do
this exercise EVERY time before I launch,
even after riding for 8 years. It helps you
orient yourself to new riding locations and
wind directions and
always puts you and the
kite in the right position
for a safe launch.
By Trip Forman
Photos/Illustrations courtesy of
realkiteboarding.com
Side and SideOnshore Launches
ONLY!
Side-shore and Sideonshore winds are the
steadiest and offer the
rider an easy way back
to the beach if equipment fails. As a general
rule, riders should always avoid straight
With all the 2006 kite excitement going on right now, we thought it would be a great time
to get back to basics. While the new kites, both bow and ‘C’ styles, have extended wind
ranges compared to older models, they do not excuse the ignorant or even worse,
abusive riders out there.
“You only need one size kite! Works in 10-40 knots! Just push the bar away for total
depower”. These statements can be found on almost every brand 12m 2006 kite. But let’s
break it down to basics. 40 knots is 46.8mph of wind! When it blows over 35mph I don’t
even want to go kiteboarding, not to mention put up a 12m! Sure if you push the bar
away, the kite will depower, but what about when you pull it in, or even worse spaz out and
pull one end in?
From a rider’s progression standpoint,
although a kite with an extended range
may allow you to “ride along” more
comfortably outside of a traditional wind
range, there will ultimately be a perfect
size for the wind conditions at hand that
will allow for the quickest and easiest
progression of skills. Let’s face it. We all
want to get better and the progression
happening with a 12m in 40 knots could
be an accelerated trip to the hospital.
monumental loftings of all time. Following
are a few basics to remember when
taking a session.
an indicator of what the upper and lower
limits of fun and responsible kiteboarding
are.
onshore or offshore winds. These directions
are the most erratic in speeds and also
drive you away from or straight onto the
land.
Launch Unhooked
Launching unhooked is the most reliable
system of ensuring a safe launch. If your
bar does not allow
you to launch
unhooked from the
harness, you are
putting your life in the
hands of someone’s
R&D. Depower your
kite with the
adjustment strap,
launch unhooked,
make sure everything
is ok, hook in, grab
your board and proceed immediately out
into the water. If something goes wrong
Safety and Responsibility
Nothing ranks higher than a kiter that is
safe and responsible. Know your gear.
Know your limits. Take responsibility for
your actions, both on and off the water.
THINK when you are kiting. Don’t rely on
safety systems to replace common sense. It
is much easier to take the proper
precautions in advance than it is to find a
red quick release butt ball when the world is
a speeding blur.
Trip Forman is the Co-Founder of REAL
Kiteboarding. For more tips and instruction like these
check out REAL’s new Zero2Hero Instructional DVD
available at local kite shops or
www.realkiteboarding.com .
0-10 knots
Beginners : Practice launching, landing, flying, wakeboard, watch video.
Intermediates : Practice self launches/landings, self rescue, wakeskate, surf, watch video.
Experts : Fix your broken kiteboarding gear, surf, wakeboard, wakeskate.
10-20 knots
Beginners : Practice body drags upwind, board starts, water relaunching and self rescue.
Intermediates : Practice going upwind, turns and first tricks.
Experts : Perfect weather for learning new freestyle tricks and wave riding.
20-30 knots
Beginners : Kite Caddy for Intermediates, watch, learn.
Intermediates : Smaller kite required, Stick to basics. Keep alert.
Experts : Supreme boosting and wave riding weather.
Know Your Wind Speeds
This article is not meant to be pro gear
in one direction or another, it is only
meant to advise riders on what is reality
and what is fantasy. Gear and gear safety
systems, while beneficial, can never
replace common sense and good
judgement. “Stick to the Basics” in 2006
or it will become the year of the most
when unhooked, you can very easily
release the bar which will activate most
safety systems, thus completely depowering
and disabling your kite until you are ready
to try again.
The other day in Cape Hatteras, it was
blowing a steady 35knots plus. The guys
who were claiming “10-40knots on one
kite” weren’t there. I think they were hiding
on the internet where 40 knots is a fun
thing to say. The only kites that were on
the water were 5- 7m, attached to riders
180lbs and larger. This should serve as
Know Your Wind Window
Many kiting accidents are caused by
riders forgetting where their wind window
actually is. Your wind window travels with
you to different launches and on the
water. Define your wind window by
30 Knots +
Beginners : Dig a hole.
Intermediates : Caddy for Experts. Watch. Learn.
Experts : Very small kite required. Experts only.
P
13
352*5(66,21
DEPARTMENT
12
11
10
9
TRICKY
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
This huge air will go down in the final record books as one of the biggest jumps of the week, courtesy of Leeshai Miller.
During the Red Bull King of the Air,
Leeshai Miller launched himself off a
wave and ended up getting the biggest
jump of the event. I’m sure there are a
lot of you out there who want to jump
like “Knee-High” Leeshai, so let’s break
down this jump and find out what made
it so huge.
By Paul Lang
Leeshai Miller surveys the epic Maui
conditions prior to his launch at the
final Red Bull King of the Air.
[frames 1-2]
Take-off: This is where the magic
happens. The take-off is the most
important part of any jump. It helps to time
your take-off with a wave, in this case, a
15-foot high Hawaiian haystack. As he
approaches the wave, Leeshai bears off to
pick up speed. He then progressively
edges upwind as he rides up the face of
the wave and steers the kite up towards
the top of the window at the same time. At
the top of the wave, he stands tall and
pops the board off the water. Timing is
critical! Look where his kite is when he
takes off: It’s straight overhead.
[frames 3-5]
On the way up: To get the most out of
your jump, don’t over steer the kite. See
Leeshai’s kite position. He flies the kite
past 12 o’clock over to 11 o’clock and
leaves it there.
window to get it back in front of him.
Without aggressively steering the kite
forward (or looping it, as Leeshai does),
you will just swing under the kite and fall
hard.
[frames 12-13]
[frames 6-8]
At the top: As you feel yourself reach
the peak of your jump, it’s time to steer the
kite back forward to overhead. Here,
Leeshai keeps the kite over his head. This
is where a lot of riders go wrong. If you fail
to get the kite back over your head as you
lose upward momentum, you will start to
plummet like a stone as you swing under
the kite. This leads to the infamous butt
slap and usually ends with the kite falling
out of the sky.
[frames 9-11]
On the way down: As gravity regains its
hold on Leeshai, he keeps the kite
overhead to float down to a soft landing.
On this jump, he loops the kite high in the
Approaching the landing: Cleared by air
traffic control to come in for a landing,
Leeshai extends his legs so he can bend
his knees on touchdown. Look at his kite:
it’s still high in the window (leading to a soft
landing), but it’s on the way down (giving
Leeshai power to ride cleanly away).
Remember, it you want to jump like this,
don’t expect to do so the first time you try.
Start small, and work yourself up to bigger
jumps as you gain skills and confidence.
Water hurts when you crash land from 40feet high, so use caution when going for
massive air. If you do pull off a jump like
this, don’t ride back to the beach and brag;
wait until someone mentions it and just
say, “Yeah, that one was OK.”
P
352'8&7 :$7&+
DEPARTMENT
2
1
5
AIRUSH
HALO
1
Airush’s second generation flat kite, the
Halo was developed for the intermediate to
advanced rider looking for increased safety,
depower, and efficiency. A load return
system assists in minimizing bar pressure
as the kite is sheeted out. This system also
returns the bar to the base of the depower
line if the kite has crashed, enabling an
easy relaunch when ready.
6
www.airushkiteboarding.com
BEST
YARGA PRO
2
A super charged version of the 06
Yarga, the new Yarga Pro mid aspect kite
integrates cuben fiber in the leading edge
and wing tips which Best asserts allows for
a highly rigid, quicker and more responsive
kite with lighter bar pressure. A moderate
aspect design that is very stable with solid
power throughout the wind window, don’t let
the name fool you. It is good for all skill
levels and riding styles.
Sizes: 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17m
proven performance, maximum comfort and
a convenient entry system, ideal for
snowkiting. The MK4 features a close fitting
yet flexible strap and a forgiving high back
and chassis which provide ultimate control
and comfort. Dual density forefoot and heel
landing pads smooth out the ride.
FLOW
MK4 BINDINGS
The MK4 features Flow’s patented
power triangle technology, which delivers
9
8
10
beatings and stay comfortably and securely
fastened for whatever trick or wipeout you
dish out. The iPod cases feature a unique
dial and push button assembly for use
underwater providing full access to the iPod
mini’s proprietary Click Wheel controls.
Sizes: iPod, mp3, with new cases
11
angled up in front, so when using the front
attachment points, the rider is moving the
pivot point further up the leading edge
(more depower). The “2 Pump System”
makes rigging faster and easier. North’s 06
Vegas kite is very forgiving with smooth
power and constant pull. It can be flown
with the 5th Element or a 4-line bar.
coming for newer iPod models
Retail: $169.99
MSRP: $149.95
Sizes: 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18m
www.flow.com
www.h2oaudio.com
MSRP: TBA
www.northkites.com
CAUTION
HECKLER
LITEWAVE
GOLF LITE TRAVELER
4
Caution’s new mid to low AR high
performance kite, the Heckler’s new thin
5th line supported leading edge profile,
wide wingtips and micro shaped struts
come together to offer a very fast, stable
and smooth flying wing ideal for freestyle,
unhooked moves, and wave riding. The
Heckler comes standard with the new C5
5th line bar and line system, for added
safety, depower, and relaunch. All Heckler’s
can also be flown 4-line if desired.
Sizes: one size (airport “golf” legal size)
MSRP: $139
www.litewavedesigns.com
MSRP: TBD
www.cautionkites.com
5
Protect your iPod or mp3 with H2O
Audio’s new cases that are totally water,
snow and dust proof. H2O’s patented
waterproof and fully submersible housing
and killer headset are designed to take the
offers a huge wind range and instantaneous
full depower along with Slingshot’s
Onepump system and new Powerstroke 4line safety bar with a redesigned stopper
ball. Slingshot says that their new bar has
considerably lightened the heavy/constant
bar pressure often associated with flat
kites. The new stopper ball prevents the
Diesel from inverting and flying upside
down while maintaining the safety of
depower.
Featuring leather shell construction, a nice
grippy leather palm, corded nylon Flextough
panels, tricot lining, and compression
molded neoprene knuckle pads, the Etree
gloves provide a snug yet comfortable fit
giving wearers full freedom of motion that
provides unrestricted blood flow for warmer
hands.
Sizes: XS to XL
MSRP: $50
www.dakine.com
MSRP: starting $1349 complete
6
Get past the baggage hassle with
Litewave’s new Golf Lite Traveler. What’s in
the bag? Golf clubs of course, but say it
softly. The bag can fit a 145cm board, up to
3 kites, and accessories. It features a skid
plate, polyurethane wheels, full length
zipper interior tie straps, and foam padded
walls. Keep it under 50 lbs. and you’re
good to go!
NORTH
VEGAS 06
12
Sizes: 8, 10, 12, 14m
Sizes: 5, 7, 9, 12, 15, 18m
H20 AUDIO
iPOD CASES
3
4
Sizes: M, L, XL
MSRP: starting at $899 kite only
www.bestkiteboarding.com
3
7
Sizes: 7, 10, 14m
MSRP: starting at $898 complete
GEAR
7
There are three new key features that
North says combine to make the Vegas
different from traditional “C” kites:
“Cambattens” keep the front of the canopy
smooth and very stable with lower drag of
attacks enabling better low end grunt and a
much wider wind range. The “Trim Tips” are
NAISH
TORCH
www.sskiteboarding.com
CAUTION
HUSTLA
8
Increased power and pivotal turning are
just a few of the strong points of Naish’s
new 06 Torch. Smooth, stable, with
excellent depower, other features include:
“Octopus Technology”- a concealed single
point pump system with one way valves
that keep the pressure consistent in the
struts and LE; “Shift System”- new bar with
optimized center hole for less bar pressure,
ready to set up and go out of the bag; New
Trim Loop (QTRL) allows easier re-hook
after unhooked moves and a quick, one
hand emergency release system.
COLEMAN
DC 12V QUICKPump
10
This pump provides a cheap and easy
way to pump up those big leading edges
(top off with standard pump required, 5-10
additional pumps). Just modify a standard
kite pump hose to fit the Quickpump with
the provided fittings and voila! This baby
will pump up 3-4 large leading edges on
one charge. When you get home be sure
to plug it in and don’t forget it the next day.
12
A quick to plane, easy to ride, wide
twintip, the Hustla is shaped by Jimmy
Lewis. Progressive concave and tucked
rails give it a sweet ride. Designed for the
beginner to advanced rider, the 145 is an
excellent choice for big boys or novice
riders, while the 135 is better suited for the
intermediate to advanced rider. Unique
Caution bomb proof construction and
trademark cool graphics complete the
package.
Sizes: 135 x 46.35cm, 145 x 46cm
Sizes: 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20m
Sizes: one size
MSRP: $625 complete
MSRP: starting $1199 complete
MSRP: $30
www.naishkites.com
Available at most sporting goods stores.
SLINGSHOT
DIESEL
9
Based on the foundation of the flat kite
concept (bow), Slingshot’s new 06 Diesel
DAKINE
ETREE GLOVES
11
The new Etree Gloves from DaKine are
ideal for snowkiting this winter season.
Do you have a new product you would like featured? Drop
us a note at [email protected] and we’ll get back to you
with the necessary requirements.
A
DEPARTMENT
$1$/<=( 7+,6
GEAR
NORTH
Rocketfish
The 5’2’’ Rocketfish was designed to
perform at the highest level in the surf
and is capable of the most radical “new
school” surf moves. It has a tight turning
radius and is very responsive. The 5’4’’
Rocketfish Pintail was designed to tackle
those larger days while still performing
very well on the smaller days. This
design is very stable and draws longer
and smoother turns. Both designs work
strapped or strapless and come with a
surf style back pad that has a raised
vertical kicker. This works really well for
strapless riding and keeps your back
foot locked in. The front pad is a
removable carbon based foot bed that
can be removed for those strapless
days. Sizes: 5’2”x17”, 5’4”x16-1/2”
MSRP: $699 including fins, pads, and
footstraps
www.northkites.com
Tips from John Amundson:
For the beginner wave rider, consider riding strapped at first. This will allow you to become
familiar with the board without being pulled off every 5 seconds.
When going strapless plant your back foot against the kicker. This will give you perfect foot
positioning on “the sweet spot.”
IN-DEPTH REVIEW
By Marina Chang
Photo by Paul Javier
CAUTION
Trespass
Caution joined forces with Santa Cruz
Skate/Surf/Snow to produce the 5”11
Trespass. The square tail Christian
Fletcher inspired kitesurf board comes
with a two footstrap option, ideal for
strong wind and big wave days. The flat
nose rocker and a slight double concave
up front, gives the board speed and
boost. It’s moderate tail rocker with
deep single concave gives enough lift
and curve for tight turning when
needed. The Trespass is coated with a
new epoxy technology developed by the
NHS R&D lab and comes with a future
fin system (3 fin). Size: 5’11”x18.13”
x2.38”
MSRP: TBD
Tips from Poul Scheibel:
When going out with straps, place your back foot in front of the back strap. This will help you
center your weight, so you won’t sink the tail and stall out. When you’re ready to ride the wave,
simply slide your back foot in the strap and surf.
On lighter days, challenge yourself; take the straps off and surf. Remember, this is an actual
surfboard, so depending on your size, don’t feel shy about taking it out for a traditional surf
session.
SLINGSHOT
SRT
Former Rusty shaper and major player on the WCT tour Bill Johnson worked with Slingshot
team riders to bring you the new 2006 SRT board. Designed specifically for wave riding and built
with bomber durabality for the rigors of kitesurfing, the SRT can be ridden with or without straps
and features a round tail for drivier bottom turns. THE SRT comes complete with newly designed
Doyle adjustable footstraps, Deck pads, tri fin 4.5” carbon surf fins, marine grade stainless steel fin
hardware pack and a leash plug. Sizes: 5’5” x 17-1/4”, 5”11x18-1/8”
MSRP: $750 complete
www.sskiteboarding.com
Tips from Martin Vari:
Riding with footstraps and pads is ideal for medium to large wave conditions that might involve choppy surfaces,
strong currents, and even gusty winds as they keep you more connected to the board when you need it. A down side
to being strapped to the board is that you’re secured into one riding stance on the board.
When riding strapless, there are multiple sensitivity spots along the board’s surface that can benefit you when you’re
IN-DEPTH REVIEW
really trying to point upwind, handle stronger wind, or when going for a powered top or bottom turn. Get a good
decent controllable speed, and experiment with the placement of your feet for best stance.
RRD
WAVEOFF
With the outlines drawn from pure surfboard shapes with generous volume
underneath the stance of the boards, RRD’s WaveOff line glides and releases well on
mushy waves and in light wind conditions, while the thin tip and tail allow for rock solid
bottom turns and snappy top turns. The standard 3x10.5cm fin mini-tuttle box setup
provides a fast, clean feel, while maintaining stability on larger waves or in
overpowered conditions. Using sandwich construction, an EPS core is covered by a
Herex skin and then with high-modulus glass fibers with wood reinforcements in the
heel area. Sizes: 4’11”, 5’2”, 5’6”
MSRP: $749 complete with decks, footstraps, fins
www.cabaldc.com
Tips from Dave Tyburski:
Before you drop in for your first bottom turn, put the board flat and position both of your feet over
the center-line of the board. This will help keep your rail buried on your toeside edge and prevent you
from bouncing out.
JIMMY LEWIS
When riding strapless to get outside, approach waves with little speed and position the kite around
1 o’clock. Edge upwind slightly and let waves pass underneath you. Dive the kite to regain power and
continue to the outside.
Tips from Trip Forman:
These boards love to
be ridden with a wide
stance, either strapless or
AIRUSH
with straps. Front foot
CONVERSE
forward gives you more
The 5’0” Converse features a three stage dedicated wave rocker and is
based on a classic surfboard outline design for wave riding in medium to
higher wind conditions. The 6’2” Converse can replace your light wind
kiteboard and give you the freedom to have one board for both surfing and
kiting. It features a classic all-round surf rocker oriented towards smaller
wave surfing and light wind kiting and a single concave bottom for early
planing, control, and a smooth ride in chop. “On the fly” footstrap screws
allow for easy on/off removal. Sizes: 5’x17’, 6’2”x18-3/4”
drive in the turns, back
foot back gives you a
tighter snap off the top.
Try projecting out of a
turn with more speed than
you came into it with. Stay
tight on the wave, skating
up and down it to
generate more speed.
MSRP: $528 complete
www.airushkiteboarding.com
Tips from Felix Pivec:
Consider leaving the front pad off so if the wind drops, you can quickly convert it into
a surfboard. Having a FCS set allows you to experiment with ideal fin set up. Felix Pivec likes
the FCS GYU 5s, for more drive and upwind ability.
NAISH
SURF
Real Kiteboarding tested over 25
boards from 5’0” to 6’8” to help JL
develop his Surf line. The 5’8 and 6’0
ended up being the perfect sizes for
small/medium and medium/large riders
and can be ridden strapless or strapped.
The 6”0 allows you to almost forget
about the kite and just surf the wave,
ride smaller kites or squeeze more out
of light winds. These shapes are
effortless both in straight line riding and
also on the wave (a rare trait for surf
shapes as they are normally very
bouncy). The wider/flatter decks make
strapless riding easy, even for
intermediate riders. The smaller 5’2” is a
dedicated strapped surf style board for
windier locations. Sizes: 5’2” X 17.75”;
5’8” X 18.5”; 6’0” X 20”
MSRP: $799 complete with pads,
straps, fins
www.realkiteboarding.com
KITEWAVE
Tips from Matt Rutledge:
Move the rear strap
position as far forward as
possible for control in
choppy conditions. First
time riders may want to
put their rear foot in front of
the back footstrap to get a
feel for the board initially.
Don’t try to ride a kite
specific surfboard like a
twintip – ride it off the fins,
not the rail.
The new KiteWave 5’5 is an all
around wave shape designed to
generate and carry speed while you
are riding the wave. The squash tail
gives the board a super loose feel
enabling the rider to come off the
bottom squarely and break the fins
free off the top. The 5’2 remains
unchanged for 06. It has a more
parallel outline, narrower width,
thinner rails, and a rounded pintail for
control at higher speeds and in more
radical conditions. While the 5’2 does
not generate as much light wind
power and is not as loose as the 5’5”,
the 5’2” is the board to have in
hardcore wave conditions where
positioning and control are critical.
Sizes: 5’5” X 17 7/8” X 2”; 5’2” X 165/8” X 1-7/8”
MSRP: Starting at $699 complete
www.naishkites.com
A
$&$'(0<
DEPARTMENT
snow
What is backcountry and how do you get there?
By James Brown
Do you have the
right gear to kite
wide open terrain?
Why go?
We go into the backcountry for a variety of
reasons. I go mainly because it’s a blast. Snowkiting
backcountry terrain is amazing. You can find untracked
snowfields, natural half pipes, rollers, kickers, cliffs and
cornices. The challenge of riding this type of terrain, as well
as getting in and out of the backcountry is another reason. I
also like to go for the solitude, beauty and sharing the experience
with my crew. Even if you don’t have enough wind to ride, you can
still enjoy being in the backcountry. You can snowmobile, snowboard,
ski and hike. You can build a snow cave and stay overnight, or make a
hut your destination.
You got skills?
Traveling in the backcountry isn’t all fun and games. Solid skills can be the
difference between life and death for you and your crew. There are many people killed
every year in the backcountry and most of the incidents could have been avoided with
some training, caution and common sense. In the end, the only things you can rely on are
yourself, your equipment and your skills. A cell phone and walkie-talkie are a good idea in
case you get lost or in trouble. Most likely, a cell phone will be out of range if you are truly in a
backcountry situation. Walkie-talkies (FRS radios) are limited as well, since they generally only
have a line-of-site range of about 2 miles. Always tell someone at home exactly where you are going
and when you expect to be back. Give them a map of the area and emergency numbers in case you
don’t return on time. Never travel in the backcountry alone. Take an avalanche class. Read about
avalanches and backcountry travel. Mountaineering stores will be able to clue you in to when and where
classes are held. Backcountry travel and avalanche awareness classes are held indoors initially, with follow up
classes where you get out and practice techniques outdoors. Anytime you get on or below a slope with snow, you
should be aware of the dangers, how to avoid them, and what to do if you or your crew gets caught. It is also
important to have solid snowboard/skiing skills in a variety of conditions. If you are using a snowmobile, you will need to
be proficient with handling the sled (riding, unburying a sled, getting it started if there are problems) and riding behind the
sled with a tow rope. You will need avalanche equipment and the skills needed to use them properly.
Backcountry is any place where you are far away from roads, other people or
immediate help. If you can drive your car up to the riding spot, it is not backcountry.
You can get into the backcountry to epic snowkiting spots by a variety of methods.
The cheapest and most simple method is to hike in with snowshoes or skis. If you have
open terrain and wind, you can also use your kite to pull you. The more expensive, but
often easier way is to use a snowmobile or helicopter.
Heli-Snowkiting
Jeff and James Brown prepare to unload their snowmobile
prior to a session.
By Aaron Sales
There are few things in life that can compare to ducking under the
blades of a roaring helicopter, loading your snowkite gear, and knowing
that in just 15 minutes, you and your your friends will be making fresh
tracks in the middle of snowkite heaven. This is an adventure that
dreams are made of and thanks to TLH Heli-skiing, heli- kiting is now a
reality.
It’s as simple as this. Save up a little cash and prepare for the winter
vacation of your lifetime. Fly into Vancouver, BC, head a few hours
north to the South Chilcotin Mountains and check into TLH’s Tyax
Lodge for a good night sleep because in the next few days, you will
make more fresh tracks than you could ever imagine.
With years of heli-guiding experience, head snowkite guide Cliff
Umpleby (aka Kiter Cliff) will be your host. Cliff is an expert at
predicting the weather, along with finding the wind and optimal terrain.
The beauty of accessing snowkite terrain by helicopter is after you’ve
determined the prevailing wind, all you have to do is fly up a few
thousand feet to pick the slopes facing the right direction and down you
go. Once you land, Cliff does a wind check and if it looks good, give
the pilot a signal for take off. Soon, the adrenaline rush from your first
ride in a helicopter is replaced with silence as everyone gets a closer
look at some of the most pristine snowkiting terrain on the planet.
The amount of terrain you can cover in a day is ridiculous and the
options are endless! Heli-kite packages range from one-day adventures
to five-day packages. Reduced rates are offered for heli-kiting due to
minimal helicopter use. Tours consist of four person groups with
intermediate kiteboarding skills. Join the Slingshot Snow Team for
three days of instruction and riding with the pros in February. Contact
TLH for more information.
www.tlhheliskiing.com
Email [email protected]
Phone 800-667-4854
Location: Colorado Lens: Ben Hortonr
JB taking a break to work on his tan.
Location: Howe Sound Lens: The Godfatha himself
Laurent Benamon cruises the wide-open European backcountry.
Lens: Frederick Pattou
Soul Session. That’s how James Brown rolls.
Location: Colorado Lens: Jeff Swanstrom
78
James Brown gets inverted at
12,000 feet of elevation.
Location: Colorado Lens: Jeff Swanstrom
EQUIPMENT
Kites
Buy kites that are stable, have a lot of
depower range for gusty wind and a leash so
you don’t lose your kite. Foil kites like are much
easier to pack into the backcountry and don’t
require a pump.
www.flexifoil.com
www.naishkites.com
www.ozonesnowkites.com
www.peltonwindsports.com
Snowmobile
If you travel by snowmobile, it is better to
have at least two, in case one breaks down.
One person per machine is nice, but you can
get by in many cases with up to three people,
depending on the difficulty of the terrain, the
power and agility of the sled and how much
gear you have. www.polarisindustries.com
Jeff Brown loads gear for a day trip. Note the snow
shoes used as a back up plan.
Location: Colorado Lens: Ben Horton
Emergency Kit
Dakine MIA kit – Contains space blanket,
compass, 21pc first aid kit, waterproof matches,
fire starting tablets, whistle, duct tape, razor
blade, zip ties, backcountry safety tips.
www.dakine.com
We use a simple trailer that we tow behind
the snowmobile. It holds kites, boards and
backpacks for three riders.
www.otteroutdoors.com
AvaLung
This device can help you breath in case you
are buried in an avalanche. www.avalung.com
80
GOGGLES are important for seeing while it’s
snowing, protecting your eyes from the sun and
keeping your face warm. www.zealoptics.com
Avalanche Beacon for finding buried
avalanche victims. www.ortovox.com
WARM CLOTHES and layering are essential
for staying comfortable. (UltraNectar- Snowkite
Jacket, Thermals -both thin and thick)
www.ultranectar.com
Avalanche Shovel (collapsible) or Snowclaw
for avalanche rescue, digging test pits, digging
out snowmobiles, making shelter or building a
sweet kicker. www.dakine.com
WARM GLOVES or mitts. Keep your hands
warm and functional with Dakine’s Bronco GT
gloves or Cobra mitts. www.dakine.com
Avalanche Prep
Avalanche Probe for searching for avalanche
victims. www.dakine.com
Essentials
Trailer
HELMET A snowboard/ski helmet for
protecting your bean while riding the
snowmobile and snowkiting. www.giro.com
WALKIE-TALKIES and/or mobile phones for
staying in contact with your buddies or finding
help. www.motorola.com
SNOWSHOES are a nice backup in case your
snowmobile breaks down or if you prefer to use
them as your main mode of travel.
www.tubbssnowshoes.com
www.atlassnowshoe.com www.redfeather.com
BACKPACK for extra gear and/or for kites.
The Dakine Heli Pack works well for carrying
your shovel, probe, food and water. The larger
Guide Pack works well for carrying lots of gear
or for packing a couple kites. www.dakine.com
EXTRAS Bring food, water (soft energy bars
are good), socks, gloves, hat, batteries,
headlamp/flashlight, tools, rope/twine and toilet
paper.
What now?
Every winter, amazing snowkiting destinations are
being discovered. Get out there and explore! If you
have any questions, please contact
[email protected].
the best resource for schools,
retailers and associations in the
U.S. and Caribbean.
Xdream Sportz
California
Action Watersports
L. Efsaker plowing on the landing.
Board Sports
Lens: Bertrand Boone
(858)481-9283
(318) 827-2233
(510)THE-WAVE
CaliKites
(619) 522-9575
Captain Kirk’s
(310) 833-3397
Channel Coast Kiteboarding
(805) 276-2901
Xstreamline Sports
Sandy Point Progressive Sports
(386) 756-7564
Extreme Sports Maui
Sea & Sky Sports
(850) 598-3735
Hawaiian Island Surf and Sport
(808) 871-4981
Ski Rixen
(954) 429-0215
(310) 518-1972
Xtreme Big Air
(808) 871-7954
Hawaiian Watersports (808) 262-KITE
(805) 773-9200
Tampa Bay Kiteboarding
(727) 798-2484
Kite High
(808) 637-5483
Kiteboard Center
(808) 276-2667
Kiteboard Maui
(808) 870-2554
Kiteboarding.com
(866) 488-5483
Kitesurf Maui
(808) 873-0015
Colorado
Colorado Kite Force
(970) 485-3300
Larson’s Ski and Sport
(303) 423-0654
Luciano Gonzalez hovers over the monster
Maui whitewash Lens: Christian Pondella
Fuze Kiteboarding
(303) 683-5033
PKS
(970) 376-3159
Connecticut
Tri State Kites
(800) 510-0865
Florida
7 Kiteboarding
(305) 664-4055
Air Assault Kiteboarding
(305) 394-9696
Helm Sports
(650)344-2711
As the Wind Blows
(850) 982-9463
Inflight Surf and Sail
(562) 493-3661
Big Kite Miami
(305) 303- 4107
Kite Country
(619) 226-4421
Butter Kiteboarding
(321) 303.4099
Kite Wave
(213) 344-6034
Kites Etc.
(949) 673-0450
Kitesurfari
(562) 596-6451
KiteWindSurf
(510) 522-WIND
Delray Beach Watersports Rental
(561) 279-0008
Live2Kite
(415) 722-7884
Malibu Kitesurfing
(310) 430-KITE
Lens: Bertrand Boone
Manta Wind & Water Sports
(858) 270-7222
Mission Bay Aquatic Center
(858) 488-1000
Extreme Kites
(904) 461-9415
(650) 960-1721
Florida Kiting
(561) 373-4445
Santa Barbara Kiteboarding Company
(805) 560-6138
Ft. Lauderdale Kitesurfing Co.
(954) 410-5419
Sky Kitesurfing School
Hydrotherapy
(619) 488-4642
Leeshai Miller comes up short on the
handlepass. Lens: Buster Tronolone
Windsurf Diablo
(510) 778-6350
High Tide Surf Shop
(912) 786-6556
Seatasea
Illinois
Groud Zero
(319) 743-7922
South Valley Kite Sports
(208) 721-0526
Chicago Kiteboarder
Hawaii
Action Sports Maui
(808) 871-5857
(208) 265-6714
(312) 804-5482
Massachusets
Cape Cod Kite School
(508) 364-6162
(508) 430-0437
(508) 398-1333
305.394.9696
www.airassaultonline.com
OOTO Kite School
Windsport
(888) 401-5080
(800) 223-5443
Lessons, Trips
Gear, Excursions in
Key West, Florida
(800) 786-7245
Wind over Water Kiteboarding
(650) 218-6023
Xrated Kiteboarding
Vela Maui
Inland Sea
Murrays
West Coast Kiteboarding
(619) 813-2230
(888) 401-5080
(808) 255-6255
(808) 389-4004
East Coast Kiteboarding
(954) 295-5778
(800) 223-5443
Watersports West
Off Da Lip
Dr Gravity’s Kite Shop
(310) 457-6897
Vela
(800) 841-1225
(808) 262-6068
Caveman Kitesurfing
Monkey Air
(925) 455-4008
Waterplay
Naish Hawaii
Aloha Kiteboarding Academy
(808) 637-5483
Lake Tahoe Kiteboarding
(877) 769-5483
Kari Anne Tragethon crumbles on impact.
Maui Kiteboarding Lessons
(808) 242-8015
(850) 249-9463
Island Style Wind & Watersports
(941) 954-1009
Island Surf and Sail
(954) 927-7002
Kite Surf the Earth
(888) 819-5483
Kite World
(321) 725-8336
KiteMare
(877) 829-0015
KitesurfUSA
(954) 816-0944
Miami Kiteboarding Inc.
(305) 345-9974
Naishkiteboarding.com, nwkite.com, hanglos.nl,.flysurf.com,
ehkiteboarding.com, fksa.org, ikiteboarding.com,
bayareakiteboarding.com, westcoastkiteboarding.com,
rubenlenten.com, kitesurf.nl, kiteboard.gr, oase.com,
kitescoop.com, kiternews.com, boardoff.com,
Towsurfer.com, surfermag.com, surfersvillage.com,
wetdawg.com, slightlystoopid.com, lostcherry.com,
wakeboarder.com, wakeworld.com
the best resource for schools,
retailers and associations in the
U.S. and Caribbean.
Skyhigh Kiteboarding School
(508) 259-2728
Gorge Surf Shop
(800) 957-4978
Associations
Hood River Waterplay
Wind, Snow and H20
(541) 386-WIND
(508) 775-7756
Kite-Line
Maryland
H2AIR Productions
(302) 227-1105
Michigan
Broneah Kiteboarding (231) 392-2212
Detroit Kiteboarding
(248) 245-5016
Grand Bay Kite Co
(231) 929-0607
Great Lakes Kiteboarding
(586) 822-6511
MacInaw Kite Co.
(800) 622-4655
Minnesota
Board Sports
(218) 833-8200
IL-Chicago Kitesurfing Group
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/kitesurf-chicago/
IL-Kitesurfing Chicago
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/kitesurf-chicago/
TX-Central Texas Kiteboarding Association
www.centexkiteboarding.com
CA-California Kiteboarding Assoc.
http://www.calkite.org/
CA-Central Coast (CA) Kiteboarding Assoc.
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/CCKA/
CA-San Diego Kiteboarding Assoc.
http://www.sdka.org/
CA-San Francisco Kiteboarding Assoc.
http://www.sfkitesurfing.com/
CA-Sherman Island Kiteboarding Assoc.
http://www.calkite.org/siko.htm
CA-Southern California Kiteboarding Assoc.
http://www.scka.org/
CO-Rocky Mountain Kiteboard Association
http://www.TocoSports.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rmka
FL-Florida Kitesurfing Association
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/FKSA/
FL-BKSA - Tampa Bay Kitesurfing Association
http://www.tbksa.org/
GA-TIKA - Tybee Island
http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/tikakiteboarding
HI-Hawaii Kiteboarding Association
http://www.hawaiikiteboardingassociation.org/
MN-Minesota Wind Info and Forum Group
http://www.windancing.com/
OR-Columbia Gorge Kiteboarding
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CCKA
VA-Virginia Kiteboarders Association
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VAKB/
WA-Seattle Kitesurfing Association
http://www.seattlekitesurfing.org/index.htm
(888) 714-9849
Lincoln City Surf Shop (541) 996-7433
New Wind
(541) 387-2440
Pacific Wave
(503) 861-0866
Storm Warning
(800) 492-6309
Puerto Rico
Kitesurfing Puerto Rico
(787) 728-8716
Rhode Island
Northwind Sports
(401) 254-4295
South Carolina
Half Moon Outfitters
(843) 881-9472
Scuba Center Wind/Kite
(612) 925-4818
US Snowkite School
(612) 280-6710
Mississippi
Get Air
(228) 209-1204
NorthCarolina
Blowing in the Wind
(910) 763-1730
Kiteboarding Hatteras (252) 995-5000
Kitty Hawk Kiteboarding Centers
(877) FLY-THIS
Real Kiteboarding
(866) REAL-KITE
Ride Hatteras
(252) 995-6755
Catchsomeair. us
(843) 388-9300
Powerline Sports
(603) 474-1122
South Dakota
Pro Peak Sports
(605) 341-5445
New Jersey
Island Surf and Sail
(609) 494-5553
Texas
Air Padre Kiteboarding
(956) 299-WIND
Nevada
Kitesurf Vegas
Windsports
(702) 493-9245
(702) 220-4340
New York
Myers Kitesurfing
(716) 751-6511
Kitewise
646) 734-3027
Kitesurf Texas
(361) 937-5000
Pro Kitesurf
(361) 883-1473
REGIONAL
Great Lakes Wind info and Forum gGroup
http://www.lakawa.com/
MAKA- MidAtlantic Kitesurfing Association
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/M-A-K-A/
Midwest Kiteboarding Assoc.
http://www.midwestkiteboarding.com
NE Kiters Association
http://www.neka.us/
United States Kitesurfing Assoc.
http://www.maui.net/~hotwind/uska.html
S. Padre Island Kiteboarding
(956) 245-8343
Ohio
Red Sky Surf And Snow
(419) 536-3204
Windsurf and Paddle Sports
(713) 291-9199
Windsurf Ohio
(440) 951-5253
Zero Gravity Kiteboarding
(361) 949-0266
2nd Wind Sports
(541) 386-4464
INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATIONS
Professional Air Sports Association (PASA)
www.pasakiteboarding.org
International Kiteboarding Organization (IKO)
www.ikorg.com
Real Kiteboarding
www.realkiteboarding.com
Kiteboarding International Training Evaluation System
www.kiteboardcenter.com
Utah
Southeast Expeditions (877) 943-8548
Oregon
Air-Time
(541) 387 3910
Cloud 9 Soaring Ctr
All Surf Industries
(503) 239-8973
Big Air Windsurfing
(541) 348-2213
Virgina
North by Northwest Surf Co
(360) 452-5144
Big Winds
(888) 509-4210
Brian’s Windsurfing/Kitesurfing
(541) 386-1423
Washington
Seattle Kiteboarding Center
(206) 779-3272
Urban Surf
Cleanline Surf
(801) 576-6460
(206)545-9463
(888) 546-6176
Floras Lake Windsurfing
(541) 348-9912
Wiley’s Water Ski Shop
(206) 762-1300
Wisconsin
Coontail Watersports (715) 385-0250
Kite-Riders
North Winds Kiteboarding
(414) 698-7012
(608) 273-1817
Southport Rigging Company
(262) 652-5434
Fish Creek Kite Company
(920) 868-3769
If you would like to see your
shop listed, please email
[email protected]

Untitled

Transcription

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